


Mad Max: Heart eyes, coffee and food carts

by Daydreamisallihave



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mad Max AU, Nux has the biggest crush ever in Capable, Nux pov, Nuxable - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, established Dag/Cheedo, food cart au, kind of, nux is so adorb my love for him is infinite, slit toast cheedo angharad dag capable and nux are friends and go out to have fun how nice is that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-04-19 00:05:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 38,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4725299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamisallihave/pseuds/Daydreamisallihave
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Through the window, Nux sees War Pig and Green Wood getting ready for their day, and as always, his eyes wander to the redhead helping Angharad. Her name is Capable and she actually looks capable of doing anything. <br/>He has known her for a while, along with the other people working in this parking, half a year now, since Slit and he started their business. They are sort of friends but not really, the same strange relationship he has with everybody who works there."</p><p>Nux and Slit are the owners of Rev Head, a food cart with fancy coffees, and he has a crush on Capable, the redhead who works in Green Wood Pizza food cart.<br/>Everybody knows it, Nux looks at her with heart eyes all time, but he hasn't dare asking her for a date yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heart eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [WAR PIG](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371053) by [bookwyrm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwyrm/pseuds/bookwyrm). 



> This fic is inspired by a Mad Max Kink Meme prompt, and by the wonderful fic War Pig of bookwyrm, which is great and super funny, go to read it if you haven't done it yet! All the ideas of the food carts are from it.
> 
> This is going to be some kind of cheesy romantic thing, with Nux and Capable being fluffy and adorable, though I would like to explore the dark past of the characters at some point.  
> But yes, mostly domestic situations, food carts, people falling in love and being adorable, and friends going out and having fun. Call it romantic comedy if you want.
> 
> I've decided that the food carts are parked next to the beach, because the sand and all that makes me think on Mad Max: Fury Road, and also because it's a beautiful setting. I think that being next to a beach in a town with warm climate can mean good business for the food carts.
> 
> I have several chapters of this story written, I'm thinking I'll post one or two per week, depending on the interest of people.
> 
> Apologizes if there are mistakes and if my English is not good enough, it's not my first language.  
> I always write in past tenses, so for a change I've decided to write this in present tense and see how it goes.
> 
> This chapter is kind of introductory.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writting it, please let me know your thoughts.
> 
> You comments and kudos keep me writting!
> 
> (Yes, I suck at thinking titles, I can't)

Mondays’ mornings are the busiest in Rev Head.

People always seem desperate for caffeine before having to go back to their routine and work after their weekends off. Nux would pity them, but they mean cash, and it’s not like he doesn’t work hard too, at least those people had the weekends free.

Mondays are even more busy than any other day because Café No is closed, so the poor souls in need of caffeine only have Nux and Slit to save them. In return, they close Tuesdays, so the caffeine addicts queue on Café No.

Toast hasn’t asked them to do that, but Nux has noticed it seems to be something commun between the food carts owners, at least in that little group. People with similar business close to rest in different days, so the others could enjoy a day of extra clients.

That way, Furiosa’s War Pig closes Wednesdays, so people go to have lunch at Green Wood, and in return, Angharad’s pizzeria is closed in Thursdays. There is another cart which sells food, that one with the long weird name, something like Mutually Assured Destruction. His owner, Max, makes sausages which taste way better than they look. But it’s mostly open at evening instead of at afternoon, and it’s slightly away from the group anyway.

Varying its position but always close to War Pig or Green Wood is the ice-creamery Many Moothers. The elder ladies that own it make all kind of strange flavoured ice cream, and they look too much like a motorbikers gang for someone of their age who make ice-cream.

Also, there’s Miss Giddy. She’s an old lady with some kind of strange library over wheels, her van is full of books that you can borrow for the day. She shows up from time to time, without fixed timetable, and it’s weird but everybody loves her anyway.

Everybody opens the weekends, which always are really busy  too, with clients enough for everybody. Furiosa opens also the weekend’s evenings, but Cheedo, her assistant, has them free.

No matter if nobody has asked them to do so, Nux follows the unwritten rules of the group and does what he can to help them. They accepted Slit and him when they started their business there without any question, and soon it sstarted to feel like family, in some weird kind of way.

Nux wasn’t going to fuck that up, he wasn’t going to go back working at the other side of the beach, where Joe’s Joe, the Doof Wagon and Ace Cream had their business. No, he wasn’t going to work for Joe never, ever again. Nux knew that Slit shared his opinion, and he behaved as good as he could, to not cause troubles.

Once he’s finished with the last client, Nux accepts the coffee that Slit, who is already sipping one, offers him, and moves to sat down with him on the driver seat of the van.

“Have I told you that you make the best coffee ever?” Nux smiles to Slit, and he smiles back.

“Yes, but you should say it regularly and never forget it. That’s why we have so many clients.” Nux knows that Slit is joking, but he doesn’t doubt it as true.

Honestly, is amazing all the kind of different coffees that Slit can do, and he’s always working in new, strange creations, which always turn out to be delicious. What he is sipping now is his newest creation, black coffee which would be strong and bitter enough to not be edible if it weren’t for the sweet, condensed milk at the bottom and the cream with caramel at the top. You stir it all together and it tastes like heaven.

“You are not bad at doing teas.” Slit continues, and Nux snorts because who could fuck up a tea. Well…he had done it, at the beginning, but just a couple of times, and not anymore. “And you handle the clients better than I could ever do.”

At that, Nux nods eagerly, because he’s certain Slit doesn’t have the patience neither the manners to do that work. He reacts violently under pressure, and his scars would probably scare off all their potential clients anyway.

Honestly, Nux feels like throwing boiling coffee over rude clients too, but he is able to control himself better than Slit.  He had actually done that once, even if he hadn’t be the one dealing with the man, who had decided to start insulting Nux for a coffee that, in his opinion, was overpriced.

Furiosa had seen everything , her van parked in front of theirs, and Nux had freaked out, sure that they were going to get into trouble with the other food carts owners, but she had given them a soft smile and nodded. Later, the Many Moother’s van had driven next to the Rev Head van, on her way to sell their ice-creams in a nearby park. The old ladies had waved at them. “You did good, coffee boys.” Nux fears were eased, and once again he felt that Slit and him had found something close to family.

After the morning peak, considerably fewer people go to them, and Nux sometimes drives their van along the promenade, trying to find new clients. They spend the afternoons in the parking too, in case any of the people having lunch at War Pig or Green Wood decide they want to have coffee afterwards. Sometimes they stay the evenings too, especially at the weekends.

Through the window, Nux sees War Pig and Green Wood getting ready for their day, and as always, his eyes wander to the redhead helping Angharad. Her name is Capable and she actually looks capable of doing anything. He has known her for a while, along with the other people working in this parking, half a year now, since Slit and he started their business. They are sort of friends but not really, the same strange relationship he has with everybody who works there.

He hasn’t dared to ask her for a date yet.

“So, since we are going to be here all day, what about I get us something to eat before everybody starts coming?” Nux asks when the smell of pizza starts filling the air. “I’m thinking about pizza.”

“Oh, yes, pizza, of course, you were thinking on pizza, weren’t you.” Slit begins in a teasing tone, and Nux curses the day he decided to tell him about Capable. Since then, he had been mocking him for his crush.

And well, maybe Nux actually goes to Green Wood a bit too much, but their pizzas are delicious, it can’t be denied.

“Actually, I think I rather eat Furiosa’s pulled pork today, it seems that we don’t eat anything but pizza lately.” Slit continues, a big grin stretching his scars, and Nux feels like punching him.

“Well, you can do as you want, but I want pizza.” Nux replies grumpily and opens his door.

“Of course you do, I know how much you want that pizza.” Slit teases again, and Nux just ignores him, walking towards Green Wood.

Behind him, he can hear Slit’s laugh. “Bring me a slice!”

When Nux reaches Green Wood, there’s not sight of Capable. Angharad is placing a few tables around the van, because lately some people seem to enjoy eating their pizza while sitting down there, looking at the sea, the van’s awning sheltering them from the sun. Angharad had managed to create a really lovely spot there, with flowerpots and all. Considering she has to put it on and then take it off again every day, it seems hard work, but it’s part of its charm and Nux is sure it’s helping to the Green Wood’s success.

Dag is working on her little stall, which is joined to the van. She helps Angharad and Capable with the pizzas, but she also has her own things. Mostly strange teas and weird herbal infusions, but she makes lavender lemonade that is almost as high as Slit’s coffee in Nux’s list of favourite drinks. She has some food too, all vegetarian and vegan. Some canapés of vegetables and fruity sweets. Thanks to Dag, Nux and Slit are eating healthier than in all their lives.

Nux looks inside the van, but Capable isn’t there. He turns around and finds Angharad’s smiley face.

“Do you want to eat something?” She asks, and Nux nods because Angharad is always friendly and gentle, and it’s more than rude to answer her that he was hoping Capable would be the one taking his order. They are not really open yet, but Angharad gives him two slices of their new pizza, asking Nux to give her their opinion of it once they had tried it.

Nux thanks her and pays, and instead of leaving he looks around once more, still hoping to see Capable. Angharad gives him a confused look, but Dag just cackles and Nux knows that somehow she knows. He doesn't know how but she knows, Dag always seems to know everything.

Nux blushes, mumbles his thanks again, and leaves.

“Their pizza is delicious, I give you that.” Slit says while they eat their pizzas.

A bit later, Dag walks towards their van with two dairy free ice-cream cones from Many Moothers. She smiles at Nux.

“Capable was buying flour, we ran out of it and we needed it to make more pizzas.” With that, she turns around and walks to the War Pig, offering one of the cones to Cheedo.

“How did she know?” Nux ask to Slit, dismayed. “How comes that she always knows everything?”

Slit just laughs. “Yes, she knows a lot of gossips, but it’s not that…what it’s a wonder is how Capable hasn’t noticed yet, it’s like…I think your eyes are heart shaped every time you look at her, seriously.”

Nux blushes heavily and throws a cleaning cloth to him, but Slit just catches it and keeps laughing.

“Just ask her out already.” At that, Nux can only babble nonsense, turning redder than Capable’s hair.

By the end of the afternoon, when it seems that Green Place wouldn’t be giving more lunches, Nux sees Capable saying goodbye to Angharad. The blond always stay for a couple of hours more than Dag and Capable, just in case.

On her way out of the parking and towards her home, Capable stops to say goodbye to the Many Moother’s ladies. After that, she stops on War Rig, saying goodbye to Furiosa, Cheedo and Dag, who is there too. And then, she turns around and waves goodbye to Nux and Slit, smiling.

And alright, maybe Slit is right and his eyes are a bit heart shaped, but Nux can’t help it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another slightly introductory chapter, learning more about the food carts and the people working on them, as the week passes.
> 
> Nonetheless, in this chapter Capable and Nux talk! (Albeit briefly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everybody who left kudos, and bookmarked, and specially thanks to Liisiko, Lowbugetcybort and bookwyrm for commenting!
> 
> I wasn't going to post a new chapter yet, but I couldn't stop myself, I'm so excited about this fic and I'm so happy people is interested.
> 
> I'm sorry if you find my story a bit slow, but I really enjoy writting it, and although this chapter is shorter and might still being a bit introductory, you get to know more about the characters and they have more interactions between them. I like to build things slow.
> 
> The scene of Nux having problems with his belt and falling down (you'll know when you read it) is inspired by my bestfriend telling me how adorably clumsy Nux is in the movie, and by the scene when Nux is thrown to the war rig and his chain gets caught and he falls, and Joe calls him mediocre (*punches Joe*).
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writting this.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> As always, apologizes if there are mistakes and if my English is not good enough.
> 
> Your comments and kudos make me happy!
> 
> Thank you!

Tuesdays are their only free day, which means that Nux and Slit spend them waking up late, running errands and being lazy at home. They might have to clean the apartment at some point, but well…they spend more time in the van than there anyway, so whatever.

Nux had considered going to Green Wood or War Pig to have lunch, still upset about not being able to talk to Capable yesterday, and had wondered if it would be a friendly and kind gesture towards his friends, going to visit them on his free day, or if it would be weird. In the end, it’s Slit laughing at him and suggesting he’ll look like a creep pestering Capable what dissuade him from going.

Finally, they end up eating Chinese takeaway and binge watching shows. They are pretty hooked on The Waking Dead. They like to discuss how long they would be able to survive. With their driving and coffee making skills, they think they could make it long.

 

Wednesdays’ mornings are all the same, regretting not having gone to bed earlier and having too much of their own coffee.

War Rig is closed, and by lunch time there’s a queue of people waiting for their turn at Green Wood, all the tables taken and Angharad, Capable and Dag working nonstop.

Nux realizes he should have gone to buy him and Slit some pizza earlier, and he considers going somewhere else, but that means missing their delicious pizza, and more important, missing Capable once more. When Nux tells Slit that he’s going to bring them pizza anyway, he has a teasing smile on his face again, but shrugs and nods.

Once there, Nux realizes the place is more crowded than he had thought, and the girls seem pretty overwhelmed, though they manage to give him a smile.

Nux doesn’t want to give them more trouble, so he just turn around to leave, but his belt seems to have a different idea and gets caught in the tiny iron bar that holds the rubbish can of Green Wood.

Mortified, knowing full well that Capable and the other girls can see him, Nux struggles with it for what feels like an eternity but are actually a couple of seconds. Once free, he rushes to leave, sure he couldn’t humiliate himself more, just to find himself tripping over his own feet.

It’s all right, he can save it, he can conceal it, nobody has noticed it. Those are his thoughts while falling to the ground on his hands and knees.

“Ey, you alright?” Angharad’s worried voice.

Nux doesn’t reply, he just gets up quickly, feeling his face burning, and rushes back to Rev Head. The only thing hurt is his pride.

Slit arches his eyebrows at Nux coming back empty handed and blushed red, but he seems to see something on his face because he doesn’t say anything and just leaves. He comes back with a couple of sandwiches from a café a street away from them, and Nux smiles grateful.

Later that day, while Nux and Slit are sat down on the van waiting for clients and fighting over whether it would be a good idea to sell decaf or not (Slit has very strong feelings against it), Nux sees through the window that Capable is walking in their direction. He’s tempted to duck and hide, but Capable has seen them already, waving and smiling.

“Ey, I know it’s late for lunch, but…” Capable hands him a paper plate with some slices of pizza. “I saw you earlier and I feel so bad we couldn’t get to you, there were so many people today. I’m sorry! I hope you got to eat something though.” She smiles, and doesn’t say anything about him falling down in front of her, and Nux can’t be more grateful.

Nux doesn’t say anything, just smiles goofily at her, and Slit sighs and steps in front of Nux, taking the paper plate and thanking her.

Nux comes back to life. “Yes, yes, thank you! That’s so very kind of you, thank you!”

“You are welcome.” Capable smiles and turns to leave.

“Say thanks to Angharad and Dag too.” Nux says, maybe sounding a bit too eager, but Capable looks back, still smiling, and nods.

Slit looks at him, already nibbling a pizza slide. “Told you, heart eyes, you are the best example of actual heart eyes.”

 

Thursdays Green Wood is closed and Nux feels miserable about not getting to see Capable.

The day is a slow one, and by lunch time Nux and Slit sit down on War Pig ‘s stools and eat with them when all the customers left. Nux is eating their fierce curry version of pulled pork in a dare with Slit, and it’s regretting his inability to turn down any of his dares.

Dag is there too, nibbling at a seitan/mushrooms thing and chatting with Cheedo. Nux notices the youngest girl’s gaze going to Slit’s scars and back down to the counter, and then back to Slit’s face. Nux knows that Cheedo is scared of Slit’s scars, mostly of all him, she always seems uneasy around him. He hopes Slit won’t lash out, but for now he has behaved rather well with her, and way better than how he reacts to people staring at his scars.

Maybe Slit knows that Cheedo doesn’t mean bad, maybe he doesn’t want to have problems with their strangely makeshift group-family. And anyway, Cheedo is just too adorable to be mad at her.

Cheedo is the newest of the food carts family. When Slit and Nux arrived, Green Wood didn’t exist, and Angharad, Capable and Dag worked with Furiosa. A couple of months later, Angharad opened Green Wood and Capable and Dag went to work with her, so Furiosa hired Cheedo.

Dag and her look so cute together that Nux can’t help but smile like a fool at them.

Dag winks at him. “Did you like your delivered pizza service yesterday?” She asks in that soft, dreamy voice of hers, and Nux feels himself flush.

“Yes, yes, thank you, of course, delicious as always.” He nods nervously and hears Slit chuckling. Nux kicks his ankle.

“Sure, sure, I know how delicious you find our delivery girl.” Dag says innocently and Nux chokes with his water. Slit is openly laughing at him now, and even Cheedo is giggling. Nux feels the weight of Furiosa’s stare on him.

“The pizza, I meant the pizza, your pizza is always delicious, it’s…” He babbles, trying to breath, swallow down the water and talk at the same time.

Nux is mercifully saved by Slit, who drags him back to Rev Head, where a couple is waiting for a coffee.

Later, Dag and Cheedo go to visit them.

“Hi coffee boy, Cheedo here wants to ask you something.” Dag says. Cheedo smiles shyly and Nux has to smile back.

“Before coming here, you worked at the other parking, with Joe’s Joe and Ace Cream and all that other carts, right?” Nux nods hesitant, he really doesn’t want to talk about that.

“Do you know the Doof Wagon? That one with heavy metal sounding inside it?” Cheedo asks. “I mean, have you seen it open? I’ve walked past it a few times and it’s always closed! Do you know what it is, what it sells?”

“That…” Slit begins, stepping next to Nux. Cheedo’s gaze goes to him, eyes wide, but she keeps her smile. “It’s a mystery bigger than the monster of the Loch Ness."

Nux nods. “I’ve never seen it open. Once I waited for six hours in front of it, left five minutes to pee, and when I came back it was gone.”

“We have found it open a few nights.” Slit says. “But we were too drunk to remember it the next morning.”

The girls giggle.

“It sells food, though we really don’t know what kind.” Nux explains.

“Or at least, we hope it sells food, because I remember us eating there.” Slit adds, and the girls giggle again.

“Anyway, I think it’s better if you don’t go there, alright? Joe’s bad news.” Nux says in a more serious tone, and Cheedo nods with a curious look, but she doesn’t ask more.

They spend the next hour like that, chatting and drinking Slit’s coffee, and it’s nice, but Nux wishes Capable were there too.

 

Friday is a busy day, one of the busiest for the food carts, but not as busy for Nux and Slit’s coffee business. Nux saw that Toast's café seems to be less busy too, and he waves at her. She nods at him, a hint of a smile on her face.

All they can do is look at Green Wood and War Rig from time to time, smiling and waving to them in encouragement.

The girls have been too busy to go chatting today, but by the end of the afternoon, Nux and Slit brings them coffee to Green Wood. Cheedo goes with them too, after Furiosa assures her she doesn’t need her more.

And it’s nice, just like the day before, talking about their days, their carts, little things like that, but for Nux is way better than yesterday because Capable is there. She looks slightly worn out, but absolutely beautiful anyway, with her fiery braids and her green eyes lighting up while she talks.

Nux tries not to stare at her too much, without much success, but every time Capable catches him looking at her, she smiles sweetly to him, and Nux’s heart flutters.

He hopes his heart eyes are not too evident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise next chapter will have more Nux/Capable, with things about their backstory and first meet.  
> I love them so much.


	3. Extra of caffeine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "  
> Nux blushes, but smiles back to Capable. “It’s nothing, really, it’s the least I could do.” He says. “I…you have always been kind to me, since I started working here…I mean, you all have been kind with us but…you helped me that day, before you even knew me…you were kind…”  
> "
> 
> Nux brings coffee to Capable, trying to be useful, and also to talk with her.  
> Their conversation makes them remember they day when they first met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos in the last chapter! It means a lot to me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I do writting it.  
> Please, let me know your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> Your kudos and comments keep me going!

The first client of Nux's Saturday morning is Capable.

She looks very tired, her eyes are still clouded with sleep. Her hair is unbraided, a mess of red curls that reaches almost to her waist. She looks gorgeous.

“Could you give me a coffee please?” Capable says softly, and Nux nods eagerly, already fumbling with the cups, hands way more clumsy than usually.

“With extra of caffeine for you, you look like shit.” Slit says from behind, and Nux glares at him, but Capable just smiles.

“Remind me not to go out with Dag and Cheedo a Friday night anymore.” She says dramatically. Nux is sorry for her, she has Saturdays off from Green Wood, like Dag has free the Sundays, but Capable spends her Saturday’s mornings helping Toast in Café No.

“You girls went out yesterday night? Considering we were with you in Green Wood until you closed, you could have told us, we would have gone with you, wouldn’t we, Nux?” Nux is about to glare at Slit again for that, but Capable’s reply have him actually smiling to Slit in gratitude.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t realize… Next time we’ll go out we’ll tell you, okay?” Capable says, and Nux nods eagerly, babbling excitedly about how much they would like that. Capable assures him she’ll let them know, and leaves.

***

“I’m thinking about bringing a couple of coffees to Toast and Capable.” Nux says to Slit when they have a quiet moment between clients. “I think they might be in need of some caffeine.”

“Really? Bring them coffee?” Slit arches his eyebrows at him, but Nux doesn’t let him discourage him and takes two plastic cups of Slit’s newest creation.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Slit says, but Nux ignores him, already walking towards Café No, and he feels Slit following him.

Nux grins when he sees Capable is smiling at him as he walks close. He holds the two coffees in front of him.

“Hi, I brought you some coffee, I thought you might need some.” He says, and Capable blinks at him. Toast frowns, actually frowns.

“I-I thought…I thought you might want some coffee, and…” Nux is confused, he doesn’t know what has he done bad. “You know…caffeine…Saturdays are really tiring…so…thought you might need caffeine…and...”

“You realize we actually sell coffee here, right?” Toast says, pointing at the ‘Café No’ logo. “Like…we swim in coffee…this is a café.” She’s not frowning anymore, but she’s talking to Nux like if he were stupid. He doesn’t know what’s worse.

In theory, Nux knew it…but in his eagerness to see Capable again and to do something useful for her and the girls, he had somehow erased it from his brain…even if the place was actually called ‘Café’.

Capable is doing an effort not to laugh, but Nux can hear Slit laughing at him.

“I tried to warn you, but you didn’t listen.” He says between laughs.

Nux knows he’s blushed bright red, and she turns around to leave, but Capable stops him.

“Ey, no, Nux, wait. We’ll have the coffee, right Toast?” And Toast rolls her eyes but nods.

“I’ve been told your coffee is very good, I’m curious.” Toasts says, and Slit nods proudly.

Toast has a couple of tables next to her van, and they sit down on the free one. Toast gives them some pastries with the coffee, and soon she and Slit are immerse in a discussion about different kinds of coffes and how to make them.

“Thank you for bringing us coffee.” Capable says, and Nux knows she’s not mocking him. “It was very kind of you.”

Nux shrugs, fidgeting nervously. “It’s fine, we have lots of coffee, and we weren’t having many clients anyway…” As he talks, his gaze shifts from Capable to the table. “I just…I wanted to do something for you and make your morning a bit better…nobody likes to work when they are hungover.” Nux smiles shyly to her.

Capable laughs softly and reaches out to squeeze his hand over the table. “You are very sweet.”

Nux blushes, but smiles back to Capable. “It’s nothing, really, it’s the least I could do.” He says. “I…you have always been kind to me, since I started working here…I mean, you all have been kind with us but…you helped me that day, before you even knew me…you were kind…”

Capable’s smile fades a little, and Nux knows she’s remembering that day too. He squeezes her hand back gently.

It had happened back when Nux and Slit had begun their Rev Head business there. They weren’t really open yet, just getting everything ready and preparing everything for their upcoming opening. Everything seemed to be going great. Slit had left earlier to run some errands, and Nux was driving their new van out of the parking when a big van had crashed against him.

Nux didn’t remember much of the crash, just the sound of the other van as it speeded away, and him limping out of his overturned van. Nux looked at it, now made a ruin, devastated. He had worked so hard in that van… Slit and him had modified it themselves. Nux hadn’t really studied mechanical in an official school, but he had learnt by himself as much as he could, he had found that it was one of his favourite things to do, work with vehicles and fixing things.

He was still mourning his van when he had heard a worried voice.

“Oh my god, are you alright?” Nux had turned around and had found Capable, looking at him horrified. “Do you want me to call an ambulance?” Nux had shaken his head.

“Are you sure? You are bleeding and all bruised. That van hit you pretty hard…” Nux had shaken his head again, mumbling that he was fine, still a bit in shock.

“I already called the police, though…” Capable had said, and Nux had nodded.

Nux had sat down on the floor, because there was nothing he could do but wait for the police and the crane, and because he was aching more than he had realized at first.

Capable had left, but she had come back a few minutes later with a first aid kit, and she had sat down next to him, explaining that all of them had one of those in their vans.

“You don’t have to…” Nux had said, but Capable had hushed him and had started to clean the cuts of his face. Nux had felt frozen in place under her gentle touch, and had almost stopped breathing.

When she had cleaned the blood off his face, Capable had brushed the scars of his lips with his thumb, and Nux had felt the silly urge to kiss his finger, but he had managed to resist it.

“I already had them.” He had murmured, just to say something, because it was pretty obvious the marks were scars and not freshly made wounds. Capable had nodded and had traced a soft index along the scars of his cheekbones.

“Those too.” She had whispered, and Nux had nodded.

“How?” Capable had asked, curious, and Nux had looked down without replying. He had made them himself, but he couldn’t say that to Capable, sure that he would scare her off. Capable hadn’t asked more.

A moment later, she had talked again. “That van had the same logo that Joe's Joe truck, that one parked at the other side of the beach, right?.”

Nux had nodded. “Some people don’t take it well when you stop working for them.”

“That seems a bit too much for a work disagreement.” Capable had said, and Nux had looked away, silent. Capable hadn’t pushed the matter more.

“Got lucky he didn't decide to run over me with the truck itself I guess...” Nux had murmured after a moment of silent, and he immediately regretted it when he saw Capable's horrified look.

She had stayed with him until the police had arrived, and then she had told them how the van looked and its logo, as a witness.

“Tell me if you need something more, alright?” She had said before returning back to work, still looking hesitant about leaving an injured Nux alone, though he had tried to convince her he'd be fine.

Before Nux had managed to leave the parking, Furiosa from War Rig and Max from M.A.D had walked towards him. He had been sure they were going to tell him he couldn’t work there, he brought problems, but no. Furiosa had squeezed his shoulder, and they had told them to let them know if Joe gave him problems again.

Apparently, they had known Joe and his bad fame for a while now, but instead of reproach Nux for his past working for him, they offered to help. Those people seemed very kind and sympathetic, and since that moment, Nux had been very grateful Slit and him had ended up working there.

When Nux had told Slit what had happened, he had gone crazy of rage, yelling about vengeance and what not, and he had even threatened to burn down Joe’s truck. Nux had managed to stop him, sure that it would only brought them more problems.

It the end, they had managed to repair the van, and they had started working only a week after what they had scheduled. Everybody in the parking had accepted them without any fuss, and nobody had asked about Nux accident again.

Slit’s angry voice pulls Nux back to reality.

Slit and Toast’s discussion seems to have heated up, and who could have guessed someone could fight over coffee but there they are.

Nux grabs Slit’s arm and Capable does the same with Toast, it’s time they go back to work again.

While Capable pushes Toast into the van, where she keeps saying things about ridiculously fanzy coffee, the redhead rolls her eyes and smiles to Nux.

Nux smiles back, dragging Slit, who is muttering things about coffee too, back to Rev Head.

On their way back, they walk in front of Many Moothers, and Dag is there, eating ice-cream with an enigmatic smile.

“Ey, coffee boy!” One of the elder ladies calls from inside the van. “Do you think you could go to the Ace Cream and bring me some, I think I’d like to have some ice-cream.”

They all start laughing, even Slit, and Nux rushes back to their van, embarrassed.

The Dag hadn’t been there when he had brought the coffee to Café No, and Capable and Toast hadn’t had time to tell her, so how, how Dag always knows everything?!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nux and Slit go out with Dag, Cheedo, Capable and Toast, and they end up a bit more drunk than they had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally more interactions between Nux and Slit and the girls.
> 
> Thanks to all the people who leave comments and kudos!
> 
> As always, apologizes if there are any mistakes or if my English is not good enough.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> Please, let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Saturday , Rev Head starts working without any remarkable event, but sometimes Nux catches Capable smiling at him from the Green Wood van and he smiles back, his heart fluttering into his chest. That earns him some mockery comments from Slit, but it’s worthy.

When Nux goes to buy him and Slit some pizza for lunch, he lingers more than necessary, talking with Capable about their new pizzas and how beautiful Angharad had managed to get the place.

There are more clients approaching, so Nux decides not to bother much and leaves. Before he can go back to Rev Head, though, Dag places two pieces of her newest creation onto his plates. Some zucchini rolls filled with quinoa and avocado. Nux and Slit looks at them suspiciously, but they turn out to be delicious.

When most of the customers had finished their lunches, Dag walks to Rev Head, holding Cheedo’s hand.

“The rolls were delicious, Dag.” Nux says and hands them two coffees.

“Thank you coffee boy.” She replies grinning. “I’m glad I’m making you two eat vegetables, one might think you survive only with pizza.” Slit snickers, and Nux finds himself blushing, Dag always knows how to have that effect on him.

“Anyway, I’m here because Capable told me you wanted to come with us the next time we go out.” Nux nods and glances towards Green Wood, but Capable is too busy cleaning the van to notice.

“I think we are going out this week too, so if you want to join us, you are welcome.” Dag adds.

“Yeah, yeah, thank you, it will be fun!” Nux says excitedly, and Slit nods along.

“I got you a date with Capable.” Slit says when the girls leave. “You have to thank me forever.”

Finally, Toast decides to join them too, although Angharad politely declines their invitation.

It takes them almost all Monday to choose a day, because they have different free days. Finally, they settled for Thursday, because all of them have to work at Friday, so all of them will be equally tired and sleepy at work. It seems fair.

During the rest of the week, Nux finds himself more distracted than usual, thinking about his upcoming date with Capable. Well, not only with Capable, everybody else is going too, but still…

Slits turns from mocking him for his heart eyes to complain annoyed about his lack of focus at work, and Nux knows he’s right.

Thursday arrives, and since it’s closing day for Green Wood, only Cheedo, Slit and Nux are working in the parking, so the plan is to meet the other girls at the beach’s promenade at evening.

The day seems to be eternal, but finally is time for them to go, and Nux is glad to see that Cheedo seems to be more relaxed around Slit.

When Nux sees Capable, he’s wordless for a moment. It’s the first time he sees her when she’s not working in the parking, and she’s wearing a black dress above the knee, not her usual jeans and plaid shirt, and combat boots. Her beautiful, long hair is out of her usual braids, and she just looks stunning.

Nux tries not to stare at her and greet the other girls too, because everybody is going to notice and he doesn’t want to annoy her. But Capable seems to feel his gaze on her, because she looks at him with a shy smile.

They go to a bar not far from the beach which blasts rock music that they all seems to like, and Slit nudges Nux until he’s seated down next to Capable and he doesn’t know if being mortified or grateful.

They talk for hours, first about their favourite music styles and their favourite bands, which leads to talk about their favourite movies and shows, and Toast seems to share their love for The Walking Dead, while Cheedo grimaces in disgust as they talk about the latest episode.

They drink beer after beer without really notice it, and after that some kind of liquor but everybody is already a bit dizzy and Nux doesn’t bother to ask what it is. It burns as he drinks it, but somehow is sweet too, and Dag laughs at his face while he drinks it.

***

Nux wakes up feeling something heavy over him, making it hard to breath.

He opens his eyes and finds he’s on his sofa, Slit passed out over him. Not a clue of how did they get there. He doesn’t remember anything from the night before.

He shoves Slit away not too gently so he can sit up and Slit groans but doesn’t open his eyes. Nux tries to remember something about last night, but everything is kind of blurry.

He remembers them discussing the ways to survive a zombie apocalypse. Their tactics seemed way better back then when they had been drunk.

He remembers Toast and Slit fighting over coffee. Again. And Capable’s hair shinning like fire, like chrome, while she shook her head at them in exasperation.

He remembers Dag and Cheedo making out in front of them, and he telling Slit to stop staring because it was rude, and Slit replying that he was the one staring, and maybe he was staring, but Slit was totally staring too.

He remembers the promenade and then sea, and when she looks down at him his clothes are dirty with sand, so they must have been on the beach, but he has no memory of that whatsoever.

He remembers them deciding to go to see if the Doof Wagon was open before go home, to solve the mystery. It was indeed open, and he remembers them eating something there, but when he tries to remember how the van looked inside or what they ate, there’s only darkness. Damn it.

He remembers seen Joe’s truck, and his face must have reflected something, because Capable had taken his hand on hers and squeezed it gently. He doesn’t remember if they stayed like that for the rest of the night, or how long that actually was, but he hopes so.

He doesn’t remember anything more.

It’s a miracle they made it home safely.

Suddenly, he worries about the girls, he doesn’t remember them going home. Trying to ignore the headache that is killing him, he looks for his mobile and sends a text to Capable. After taking some painkillers, he checks his mobile and for his relief, Capable has replied.

“We ok.”

Not very communicative, but it’s enough to make him stop worrying.

Now that that is cleared, Nux shakes Slit until he wakes up and offers him some painkillers, not as much because he is his friend and he loves him, as because he needs him to start moving, but he’s helping anyway.

They are going to be late for work, but the business is theirs after all, so it’s not big deal. Except that it means less clients and therefore less cash.

They had left the van in the parking, so they had to go there in their motorbikes, and somehow the fresh air as they drive seems to make them good, because when they arrive to the beach they feel slightly better. Slightly.

They find they girls sit down on Café No’s tables, looking as tired as them and with the same hangover. It suits them, because Toast’s café is known for the amount of drunks and hangover people that go to drink her coffee and eat her pastries.

They sat down with them and nobody says a word.

Cheedo is the first to speak, looking up from Dag’s shoulder, where she had buried her face.

“Anyone remembers going to the Doof Wagon?” They all agree, they actually went there and ate.

“Anyone remembers how it looks or what we ate?” They all agree, they don’t remember a thing.

Still a mystery.

“Honestly, the whole night is kind of blurry.” Capable murmurs.

“Well, I remember something.” Dag says in her soft, dreamy voice, even more dreamy now. “You two, holding hands the whole walk home.” She looks from Nux to Capable, and Nux finds out he’s not the only one blushing.

At the end, Toasts is the only one who can remember, more or less, how they came back home. Apparently, Slit and Nux walked the girls to their flat, which is close to the beach, and they went to theirs. Nux doesn’t remember a thing, and neither does anybody else.

Some people is already arriving to the beach and walking to the parking, so they drag themselves tiredly to work.

Late that afternoon, Nux sees Capable eating at War Pig instead of at Green Wood, and he joins her. He asks if everything is alright, and she nods. It’s just that sometimes she misses Furiosa’s food, she explains.

“Thank you.” Nux says after a moment of silence.

“For what?” Capable asks, confused.

“Yesterday, when we walked past Joe’s Joe…” Nux began, not sure of how to explain it. He’s sure Capable doesn’t remember.

“Oh, that…” Capable cuts him off. “I thought you didn’t remember…”

“I thought the same of you.” Nux replied, and both laugh awkwardly.

“Well, thank you.” Nux says again.

“Anytime.” She replies, and both smile goofily at each other for a moment.

Furiosa arches her eyebrows at them, but says nothing.

When it’s time for them to go home and Nux and Slit are taking their motorbikes and putting on their leather jackets, Dag and Cheedo walk towards them from War Pig.

“Now, now, Cheedo, look, two boys have got out of Grease.” Dag says, stopping in front of them.

“I see, or maybe they are the bastard sons of James Dean with shaved heads.” Cheedo adds.

Nux is not sure if they laughing at them or not, but he found himself blushing and hiding a smile, while Slit growls at them in a very non-threatening manner. And even if they are actually laughing at them, he’s glad Cheedo is now comfortable enough around them to tease them.

From the corner of his eye, Nux sees Capable looking at the scene and giggling, but when he looks at her she smiles, and it feels nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question for the people who read this:
> 
> Which days do you prefer to have updates? I usually updated it on Friday, sometimes also in Sunday, but what days would you like me to do it?  
> Also, how many updates per week? (1/2/3 maybe? Up to you!)  
> Let me know your feedback.
> 
> I feel a bit embarrassed about posting it and asking you things like that, because I think I'm not very good at writing, neither I'm very original or imaginative. So I'm very negative about my fics.  
> But since it seems some people are reading me (I'm so grateful!) I would like to make it easier or better for them, so let me know your thoughts.
> 
> Also, as you see my chapters are usually short. I'm not really used to write, so it's easier for me.  
> But would you like them more if they were bigger? Like, i could join two in one, maybe.  
> Your coments and kudos keep me going, thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another week passes and once again, Nux, Slit, Capable, Toast, Dag and Cheedo go out. Also, Nux gets a date with Capable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your kudos and comments!  
> Specially thanks to hyaenahyaena, Mickymoon, RedFoxsarrows, Liisiko and kyumin for their comments in the last chapter and their feedback about when to update.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> Please, let me know your thougths in the comments!
> 
> Your comments and kudos keep me going, thank you all!

Another week passes without anything very remarkable, except the usual accidents and the kind of things every food cart worker is used to suffer.

Monday’s afternoon, some creepy middle aged man tries hitting on Cheedo multiple times, making the girl obviously uncomfortable. Furiosa puts an end to that quickly, throwing the man, who looks terrified of her, away from War Pig.

Dag appears then, following the man and hissing all kind of inventive insults to him, while the elder ladies of Many Moothers cheer her, until the creeper runs away from the parking.

It was surprisingly gratifying to see.

Wednesday, a drunk starts yelling nonsense to Toast about her sweet cake being sweet, and she stares at him with that death glare of hers and throws him away as easily as Furiosa had done with the creeper a couple of days back.

The drunk goes to Rev Head then, and Nux and Slit pour his burning coffee over him. What a clumsy accident. Their bad.

So, it’s just an usual week.

They go out next Thursday too, but this time they have the sense not to drink themselves to oblivion.

They have dinner in M.A.D and talk to Max, or rather they try to, because the man is as little eloquent as always, just grunting and barely saying a whole sentence. But he’s nice in his weird kind of way. When they leave, Dag whispers into Nux’s ear that he used to be a cop, long time ago, but something happened to him.

Then, they go to the Doof Wagon, just to find it closed. They need to think another plan.

Some carts of the parking are closing, since it's starting to be late, but others are still open so Nux makes sure they leave before they reach Joe's Joe or any of his workers can see them, since probably Slit and him are not welcome there.

Like last Thursday, Nux and Slit walk the girls back to their flat before going to theirs. Just that this time, they remember it.

***

When Nux and Slit arrive to the parking Friday morning, the girls are once again sit down in Café No, and they seem to be discussing something. They sit down with them and Toast gives them two coffees before sit down again.

“So…” Cheedo begins talking again when everybody is settled down. “Next Thursday, half of us get drunk, half don’t, and then we go to Doof Wagon and see what happens.”

They all agree because they can’t think on any other plan.

“I really think you should ask Capable for a date.” Slit says while making coffee, and Nux jumps and looks at him wide eyed. Has he caught him staring idly at Capable right now? He was making some tea but Capable’s hair looked specially shiny, and Nux kind of got distracted and now he doesn’t remember how long the tea bag has been inside the now cold water. He throws it away.

“I think she likes you too.” Slit continues while adding some kind of green syrup to a coffee. “I think she’ll say yes.”

Nux is not so sure about it, but Slit convinces him he as more to gain than to lose.

It takes him a while to gather enough courage, but finally when Nux sees Green Place is not too busy, he asks Slit to mind the counter and walks towards the pizzeria, trying not to cower in the last minute.

Capable is cleaning a table and Angharad is watering the flowerpots, but when she sees Nux is staring at Capable with a flushed face and nervous expression, she busies herself inside the van. Nux decides to bring her free coffee every morning to thank her.

Capable stops cleaning the table and smiles to him when he greets her, and Nux feels the urge to run away.

“I…I was wondering if maybe you would like to go out?” Nuxs says a bit too quickly, but fortunately Capable seems to understand his words, and she laughs.

“But if we went out yesterday! You feel like chasing the Doof Wagon again already?” She replies, giggling, and Nux has more problems resisting the urge to run away back to Rev Head this time.

“Yeah, yeah, I know…it’s not that…” He says instead, flinching awkwardly. “I meant…I meant if you want to go out someday with me, just you and me…not with the others too…”

“Oh…” Capable blinks at him, and Nux can’t help a smile when he sees she’s blushing. “Yes, yes sure, I’d really like it.”

They just look at each other, smiling shyly for a moment before deciding maybe it would be a good idea to choose a day. Saturday’s evening, after closing, suits them well.

“See you tomorrow then.” Capable says, smiling, before going back to work, and Nux smiles back, nodding eagerly.

From somewhere inside the van, Dag pops out her head, thumbs up and grinning to Nux, and Nux grins to her even if it’s kind of intrusive and he knows she’s going to be gossiping about them to all the parking in five minutes.

Back in Rev Head, Nux can barely concentrate on what he’s doing, heart fluttering too quickly inside his chest, and he gets scolded by Slit a dozen times for messing things up, but he can’t help it, his mind is all in Capable.

Saturday arrives, and since Café No closes earlier than Rev Head, Capable goes home, saying to Nux that she’ll come back to pick him up that evening, when they close.

When she comes back, she’s wearing a skirt instead of jeans, but her hair is still braided, and how she manages to look always that beautiful, Nux doesn’t know, but she always manages to let him without words when she smiles at him.

They end up just walking through the promenade.

Capable tells him about her day, and the differences she finds between working in Green Place and Café No, and how she wouldn’t know which one she prefers, or if she would rather have a food cart or a coffee cart.

Nux tells him about Rev Head, how difficult was to start it from nothing but how rewarding is to own his own little business now. How hard is to deal with rude clients, and she agrees to that and suggest that he should allow Slit to throw boiling coffee over clients that insult him more often.

Aqua Cola seems to be open and that’s nice, because is one of that carts without a fixed timetable, sometimes it’s open, sometimes it isn’t. They sell some kind of Italian soda with handmade syrups that are pretty good, and they buy a couple.

The sun is setting and Nux suggest to Capable if she would like them to go down to the beach and see the sunset, to which she agrees.

They sat down on the sand, looking at the sea, free of bathers except for some surfers.

“I love the sea, I’ve always liked it.” Capable says after a moment of silence, smiling to Nux. “I’m glad I work next to the beach.”

“Yes, it’s nice.” Nux nods, trying to calm down, but his heart is fluttering. He can feel Capable’s warm where her arm touches his, and he has needed all his will power not to wrap his arm around her shoulders, not sure if it would be welcome.

“But I think I don’t really appreciate it, because I’m used to see it every day since I was a little kid.” He adds.

“I guess so. I grew up in a town far from the coast, moved here a few years back.” Capable explains.

“I thought you had grown up here too.” Nux says, and she shakes her head, looking from him to the horizon.

Nux wants to ask her about her life before working with Furiosa, but somehow he feels it’s not the right moment, he feels it would be better if she talks about it when she wants to, without him asking. He just hopes she’ll tell him about it someday.

Capable is still looking at the horizon, so Nux takes the opportunity to study her lovely features, from her green eyes to her sweet lips, without her noticing it.

He wonders if he has now what Slit calls heart eyes. Probably, but he can’t help it. She’s gorgeous and Nux is not sure of how he managed to get a date with her. She’s not only beautiful, but also sweet and caring, and she seems pretty intelligent too, and…why say more, she’s perfect.

Some strands have escaped from her braids and there’s some sand tangled in them, and Nux raises his hand to clean the sand from her hair. Capable looks at him when he touches her hair and he freezes.

“It’s alright.” She says softly, and Nux brushes his fingers through the strand of red hair, carefully.

“Why do you shave your head?” Capable asks curiously, brushing her fingers gently over his skull, making Nux freeze again. “Well, stupid question, because you like it.” Capable replies to herself, laughing awkwardly.

Nux smiles. “Yes, I like it. But also, all the people who work for Joe shave their heads. Kind of a brand.” He explains. “Slit and I started working there when we still were almost kids, and we have had our heads shaved since then. I’m used to it, I think I would see myself a bit weird with hair now. I can barely remember how it was.”

“I can’t imagine you.” Capable laughs softly. “But I bet you look cute anyway.” At that, Nux blushes.

They stay there until the sun sets, and then Nux walks Capable home. While walking, he reaches out to hold her hand, uncertain, but lets go almost as soon as he touches her. Capable reaches out for his hand back, and holds it firmly.

“It was really nice.” Capable says, stopping in front of the door of her building.

“Yes, yes it was.” Nux nods, a nervous smile playing on his lips.

“We should do it again, maybe next Saturday? If it’s okay with you…” Capable suggests, and Nux nods so eagerly that almost bumps his head against hers, making her giggle.

“Yes, yes, it’d be great. I really love going out with you, Capable…” Nux babbles, and he leans down and kisses her cheek, he can’t help himself. He can feel her skin warming under his lips. It feels so nice…

Nux is reminded of the fact that Capable lives with the other girls by Dag greeting them from the balcony.

“Ey adorables, come up here, we have tea.”

Nux blushes and starts babbling nonsense, but Capable laughs and pulls him from his hand into the building. Once in her flat, they find Dag and Toast sitting down on the kitchen table.

“I thought Cheedo lived here too?” Nux asks as he sits down with them.

“Oh, no, she lives with Furiosa, actually. But she stays with us when we go out.” Dag says. “But we are making plans, I think she’ll move here soon.”

“Angharad room is free, she moved away a few months ago.” Toasts explains, and pushes a couple of cups and the teapot towards Nux and Capable.

Toast and Dag make Capable tell them everything about their evening while Nux is still there, making him feel very, very embarrassed, and judging from Capable’s flushed face, he’s not the only one embarrassed.

But after it, Toast nods in some sort of approbatory manner that makes Nux feel like he had passed a test.

“Well, coffee boy, is not like we want to rush you, but it’s time for ladies to go to sleep. And you should too, work will be calling for us tomorrow morning…” Dag says. “Well, not me, is my free day.” She adds with a grin.

Toasts starts to clean the table and Capable walks Nux to the door.

“See you tomorrow.” She says, and this time is her who kisses Nux’s cheek and makes him blush under her lips.

Nux doesn’t reply, and they just smile goofily at each other for a moment, before Nux is able to move his feet again and leave after say his goodbyes, heart fluttering into his chest the whole way home.

“Totally heart eyes.” Slit comments when Nux arrives.

***

Sunday, everybody in the parking seems to know about Capable and Nux date.

Nux can feel Furiosa’s gaze on him more often than usually, while Cheedo and Dag (who is there like always seems to be) just grin at him with thumbs up when they see him.

The ladies from Many Moothers come to have coffee at Rev Head and tell Nux that they expect him to keep behaving like a gentlemen, and it might not seem very threatening but it sounds like it, and Nux has been always terrified of them anyway.

When Nux thinks the threatening visits are over, he looks up and sees Furiosa there. “I trust you.” She says, and leaves, leaving Nux confused and vaguely scared.

Angharad goes too, but she only smiles and tells Nux to go to have lunch with Capable at Green Place later, which he does.  Toast and Slit joins them and he can feel the Many Moothers crew looking at them, so it’s not as intimate as Nux was hoping, but it’s nice anyway.

Later, Nux asks Dag, Slit and Toast separately who has been gossiping about the date, but they all keep blaming each other and looking as innocent as possible.

They don’t fool him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slit was feeling boring and lonely when Nux left, so he went to M.A.D and told Max about Capable and Nux date while he ate. And then Max told Furiosa.
> 
> Dag told Cheedo. And Miss Giddy. And the women of Many Moothers. And a few more people.
> 
> Toast told Angharad, and Furiosa too, although she already knew.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another week passes, with Capable and Nux being cute together.  
> Also, they follow Cheedo's plan to find what the Doof Wagon is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kudos and comments, specially thanks to Liisiko, Kyumin and Emi_Neko for their lovely comments in the last chapter.
> 
> I hope you like this, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writting it.  
> Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
> 
> As always, apologizes if there's any mistake and if my English is not good enough.
> 
> Your comments and kudos keep me going!

Like all Mondays, it’s a busy day for Rev Head, but they are rewarded by Capable bringing them pizza for lunch, when the affluence of clients has declined considerably.

“Angharad said I can have lunch with you here if you are free.” Capable says. “Said she’ll be alright with only Dag helping her for a little while.” Nux grins and waves towards Green Wood.

Capable hands them their slices of pizza and Nux gets out of the van to eat with her. They don’t have tables outside their van, so they have to eat standing, but Capable doesn’t complain.

When they are almost done, a man goes to Rev Head asking for coffee. Slit draws to Nux that he’ll deal with him, so Nux doesn’t have to come back to the van, and the man stares quite plainly at his scars. Slit manages to control himself and Nux is proud.

When the client is gone, Slit gets out of the van rolling his eyes.

“They don’t seem to mind your scars, so why they have to stare at mines with that face.” Slit says, waving a hand over Nux’s scars, which don’t looks as they did when freshly made but are still noticeable.  “Yours even have a skull form, mine are just…scars.”

“They do stare, they just don’t say anything about it…they want their coffee and they want it quick…” Nux replies, but he really feels bad for Slit.

Nux’s lips and cheekbones scars resembling a skull should be more scary and threatening than Slit’s cheeks scars, but people seem to be always more bothered by Slit’s scars. He knows that is because Slit’s are way bigger, from the corner of his lips up through his cheeks, more impacting, and looking very scary. But still, it’s unfair.

“Well, Angharad has scars on her face too and nobody stares at her.” Slit says, and Capable tensed. Nux looks at her, arching his eyebrows in a silent question, but she doesn’t reply and just looks away.

Nux and Slit had always been curious about Angharad’s scars, being scarred themselves, but they had noticed nobody talks about them, so they had followed their example, knowing fully well how annoying is to have people pointing at your scars.

Nux spends the rest of the day worried thinking they have upset Capable, but when she leaves she stops in Rev Head to say goodbye, smiling and waving to Slit, easing Nux fears.

Capable kisses Nux’s cheek, which makes him blush and babble nonsense, making Capable giggle, and he giggles with her. Maybe they look ridiculous, but Nux is too happy to care.

***

Tuesday, Nux go for lunch at Green Wood, and he eats with Capable some veggie thing that Dag has made and which is surprisingly good. Nux wishes he could spend more of his free day with her, but he doesn’t want to bother much and distract Capable from work, so eventually he leaves.

Wednesday, as always, is a very busy day in Green Wood, and Nux try not to bother them too much. He brings them coffee, and has the chance to talk with Capable for a bit, but they can’t do much more.

Thursday, Green Wood is closed but Capable comes to have lunch with Nux, and he feels very grateful.  Slit is in quite a good mood, thanks to all the coffee running through his system, so he tells Nux to go have lunch with Capable while he takes care of the business.

They go to War Pig, where Dag and Cheedo are already eating some seitan and mushrooms, but Capable and Nux choose the usual pulled pork.

That night, their little group goes out again, and they follow Cheedo’s plan to find out what the Doof Wagon is.

They decide that Capable, Cheedo and Nux will stay sober, and Slit, Toast and Dag will get drunk. The sober group says it’s because the drunken group can handle alcohol better. Actually, it’s because they love Slit and Toast’s drunken discussions about coffee, and because drunken Dag is even more mystical and funny than the regular one, and they love to hear the conversations she has with herself.

They go to the Doof Wagon late, when they know the other carts are closed, giggling excited, eager for seeing its mystery solved. They send the drunken group first, while they sober stay outside. They come back disappointed, the cart is closed.

It seems the Doof Wagon is not so easily fooled. Time to think another tactic.

They end up on the beach, sitting down on the sand while Dag says something to Cheedo about being sat down over the corpse of a big rock that the sea murdered. So lovely.

Capable curls up next to Nux, and he wraps his arm around her, smiling, heart fluttering. She smiles sweetly to him and kisses his forehead and Nux is sure his heart is going to burst out of his chest. He strokes her hair, gently, and Capable leans into his touch, closing her eyes. When Nux leans over and kisses the tip of her nose, her smile widens.

Their moment is ruined by Dag and Slit trying to strip down and get into the water. Apparently, Toasts has dared them to swim to the further buoy and see who wins. Cheedo stops Dag while Nux stops Slit, not without a bit of difficulty, and Capable tries to make Toast stop yelling at them to get into the water already.

They decide is time to go back home.

Nux and Capable walk holding hands, and it would be more romantic if it weren’t because Slit is leaning against Nux and Toast against Capable as they are helping them walk. Cheedo is doing the same for Dag, dragging her, but is a bit difficult considering how tall is Dag and how skinny is Cheedo.

But they manage, and finally they reach their places.

Nux, Capable and Cheedo spend the Friday taking care Slit, Toast and Dag and their hungover; because they feel they owe them.

Nobody is able to think another plan to find what the Doof Wagon is. For now.

They don’t have much free time that day, but Capable and Nux manage to have a moment for themselves, while they eat Many Moother’s ice-cream, Nux’s arm wrapped around her. Nux can see the elder ladies smiling while they look at them, and also Furiosa from War Pig, and Nux feels like he has been blessed.

***

Saturday evening Capable goes to pick up Nux for their date, and when he grins blissfully at her he must have a really idiotic face, because Slit tells him to just go with her already and let him close Rev Head.

They end up walking along the beach again, holding hand, but this time on the sand instead of in the promenade, bare feet.

When they get tired of walking, they sit down on the sand, Capable snuggling with him and Nux wrapping her arm around her and stroking her hair. They stay like that for a moment, quietly, looking the sun set.

When Nux feels confident enough, which means he's shaking a little less and breathing a bit better, he leans towards Capable, close, looking at her lips, but he retreats in the last moment. He’s dying for kiss her lips, but he’s afraid she might not want to.

Capable doesn’t let him go, though, and she leans over to brush his lips with hers. It takes a second for Nux to respond, but finally he does, fingers tangling on Capable’s hair, and he almost whines when she pulls back.

“Your scars feel strange.”  She murmurs, and Nux’s stomach drops.

“Sorry.” He says, moving away, but Capable stops him with a hand on his cheek.

“No, I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” She says, brushing her fingers over his scars like she had done the first day they met. “Strange in a nice way.” She kisses him again.

“I made them myself.” Nux says when their lips part.

“Why?” Capable asks, snuggling under his arm.

“Well…” Nux doesn’t know how to begin. “I was a teen, was working for Joe, and all his employees are, well…imposing. Also, I was there with Slit, who is more intimidating than me, especially after his accident… And well, I wanted to be scary too, so…”

“So you decided that cutting your own lips and cheekbones was the best idea.” Capable teases, and Nux kisses her nose.

“Yes, so I would look a bit like a skull, that things are scary.” He nods.

“I think the big, blue, puppy eyes cast down the effect a bit.” Capable teases. “Such a cute skull…”

“I’ve scared people, I can be scary if I want.” Nux whines.

“Sure you can.” Capable says, and Nux doesn’t know if she’s teasing him or not, and he can’t ask because Capable is cupping his face with her hands kissing him again, more deeply this time, and he gets distracted.

When their lips part, Capable traces his scars with her index again and Nux almost purrs like a happy kitten.

“Anyway, I think it was a bad idea, if you ask me.” Capable says, and Nux shrugs. Back then it had seemed a great idea.

“Angharad did hers too.” Capable says softly, suddenly looking sad.

Nux wants to ask, but knows that it’s Angharad’s choice whether she wants him knowing or not, he can’t make Capable tell him. Instead, he kisses her frown until she’s smiling again.

They walk home shortly after that, and when they stop in front of her building door, Nux pulls Capable into his arms again, kissing her deeply and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Dag whistles at them from the balcony.

They both blush embarrassed, but they giggle.

“See you tomorrow, okay?” Capable says before getting into her building.

Nux walks to her flat grinning the whole time, and he doesn’t even get upset when he arrives to discover Slit watching The Walking Dead without him.

***

Sunday is Dag free day, but she’s already in War Pig before they are even open. The usual. She says something to Cheedo and both giggle and grin at Nux with thumbs up. Slit laughs too and Nux’s face burns.

Max from the M.A.D is sitting in one of Furiosa’s stools too, and that’s strange.

Cheedo and Dag waves at Nux to go there, and he goes only because she’s holding a glass of that lemonade he likes so much.

Once there, is Max who starts talking with him, and that startles Nux, they have barely talked few times in half a year.

“So…I heard you are dating Capable.” He says in a hoarse voice, and Nux glares at Dag, who shrugs innocently.

“Yes…well…I think…I guess…” Nux babbles.

“You guess you are dating your girlfriend or you know it?” Furiosa interferes, and Nux wants to hide forever.

He hasn’t asked Capable if she’s his girlfriend, but Max and Furiosa are staring at him and he nods nervously. “No, no, yes she is, I mean, yes we are dating.”

“Hope everything will go alright for you two.” Max says, and Nux is not sure if he hears a threatening undertone or if he imagines it.

Later, he goes to Green Wood for lunch, although he doesn’t think he could stay long because they are quite busy.

“Oh, your cute boyfriend comes to visit.” Angharad says sweetly, and Nux knows she doesn’t mean bad, but still he blushes heavily.

Capable blushes as red as her hair too, and Nux is about to apologize but she just leans over the counter and kisses him, and who is him to argue against that.

Many Moothers is parked in front of Green Place, and the ladies pop their heads out of the van and whistle at them in a way very similar to Dag last night, and honestly this is starting to be too much for Nux, but Capable just giggle against his lips and so does him.

***

Next week passes without anything remarkable, Nux and Capable smile and wave to each other while working, go to visit each other (even in their respective free days), hold hands and steal kisses, and are, in Cheedo's words, too cute to handle. Nux guesses that is good. Cheedo and Dag are usually too cute to handle too.

They go out the Thursday, as it’s been getting common.  Angharad joins them this time, and after dinner in the M.A.D they go to the beach to see the stars.

Cheedo is curl up on the sand, her head on Dag’s lap, who is telling her things about mermaids and misconceptions about them.

Capable is sitting between Nux’s legs, with her back against his chest. Nux buries his face on her hair, and when Capable turns her head to smile at him he kisses her cheek.

Slit, Toast and Angharad are sit down in a triangle, talking about how is much more difficult to open and deal with a food cart business than people usually thinks.

When they decide to go home, Angharad says that she’ll be staying in her old room, if that’s okay with them, so they don’t have to walk her home.  Nux can see that the girls are enthusiastic  about it.

Friday morning, Nux finds the girls looking sleepier than they should, considering they went home earlier than any other Thursday.

“We had a sort of sleepover like if we were fifteen.”  Capable explain to Nux after she kiss him.

They all sit on Café No for breakfast.

Slit is talking with Toast about buying some of her pastries for Rev Head, Dag is telling Angharad that she should go out with them and stay with them more often, Cheedo is nodding along while she makes intricate braids on Dag’s white hair, and Capable is just looking at them talk, head resting on Nux shoulder.

And it feels nice, it feels like family.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on in the parking, while Nux and Capable keep being happy and cute.  
> Summmaries are not my thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to FanaticDomainExpert and Liisiko for their lovely comments, and thanks to everybody who left kudos in the last chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it, please let me know yout thoughts in the comments.
> 
> As always, apologizes if there are mistakes or if my English is not good enough.
> 
> Thanks for reading, your comments and kudos keep me going!

Nux has been making plans in his head for her date with Capable since Thursday night, when they all had been on the beach. It’s going to be a bit improvised but he hopes it will go alright.

Slit and he are now usually letting the van parked in its spot all day and night, and they come and go in their motorbikes. Capable has express some interest in them, saying she has never ride on one and that she can’t see why they prefer them to cars.

Slit had given a soon bored Capable a fifteen minutes lecture about the pros of bikes over cars, and although she had tried to listen more or less attentively, she had seemed thankful when Nux had gone to rescue her.

That, and something she had said the Thursday when they had been at the beach, has given Nux an idea for their date.

Instead of going home when Café No closes and come back later, as she usually does, this time Capable stays, alternating between War Pig and Rev Head while she waits for Nux.

Once Rev Head is closed, Nux hands Capable the spare helmet of his motorbike. He can see she’s surprised and doubtful, and Nux’s confidence shakes for a moment, but he goes ahead with his plan.

“I thought today we could go out for a ride…you said you have never ridden on a motorbike so…” He shrugs. “I thought you might want to give it a try. And you should say yes if you don’t want Slit lecturing you again.”

At that, Capable laughs, and Nux feels better. She eyes the motorbike suspiciously, but nods and smiles, and Nux has to kiss her then.

There are some voices coming from War Pig, and when Nux and Capable stop kissing and look there, Slit and the ladies of Many Moothers are there, discussing with Furiosa something about motorbikes. Apparently they all are fans.

Ten minutes later Capable and Nux are already riding outside the city, and Nux has always loved to ride on his motorbike, but it has never been as good as this day, with Capable’s body pressed against his, her arms wrapped tight around his waist.

He drives through secondary roads, and stops in the countryside, in a spot without many trees, just soft grass and black sky.

“What are we doing here?” Capable asks confused when they get off the bike.

“Stargazing.” Nux replies, grinning. “When we were on the beach the Thursday you said it was a pity that the beach has so many light, with the streetlights and the promenade and that, because you can’t really see the stars. So I thought you could see more in a place like this.”

“When I thought you couldn’t be sweeter…” Capable says quietly, pulling Nux into her arms and kissing him.

“I should have brought a blanket…” Nux says, frowning as he looks at the grass, but Capable is already sitting down and tugging at his arm.

Capable sends a text to Toast, saying she'll be late today, to not worry and not wait her awake. Once her mobile is back inside her bag, Capable nudges Nux until he's lying down on the grass, and she lies down too, resting her head on his chest.

They stay curled up there a couple of hours, Capable telling Nux about all the stars, constellations and satellites she knows. When he asks how she knows that, Nux learns that it was Toast who had explained all that to Capable. And also some books she borrowed from Mss Giddy’s because Toast told her they were good.

They are a bit reluctant to leave, but eventually they  know they should, it’s late and tomorrow is working day for both them.

When they arrive to Capable’s building, Dag is not in the balcony and the lights are off, meaning they did as Capable said.

They spend several minutes just kissing, lost in their own world. Capable’s hands rest on Nux’s shoulders, and slowly she moves her fingers up, stroking his neck and jaw, cupping his face. Nux runs his hands through his heavy, curly hair, gently pulling her close, and she hums against his lips.

When their lips part, Nux feels a bit short of breath but happy. He frowns a bit when he sees Capable's face.  She seems to be feeling a bit awkward and doubtful, and Nux doesn’t know why. He can see the wheels inside her brain turning while she thinks.

She glances from him to her door, and back to Nux, and he thinks that maybe, just maybe, she’s considering inviting him in. But she doesn’t seem very sure of what she wants, and Nux wants her to stop feeling awkward and stop worrying, so he leans to kiss her forehead.

“See you tomorrow, okay?” He says, and Capable grins at him before disappear into her flat.

Sunday morning, Nux worries when he sees Angharad getting everything ready in Green Wood for the afternoon, and Capable is not there.

But when he asks, Angharad giggles and tells him that Capable has called her, saying that she’ll be late because she hadn’t heard her alarm and she’z woken up too late.

Nux smiles, because he’s felt very sleepy that morning too. They shouldn’t have been stargazing until so late, but it was worthy nonetheless.

When Nux sees Capable arriving, he goes to greet her, leaving Slit dealing with the counter, which soon proves to be a bad idea, when a man asks for decaf and Slit starts yelling at him all what is wrong with decaf coffee.

And probably in Slit’s head he’s no as threatening as he’s informative, but the man pales and rushes away, going to Café No. Toast waves at Slit with a smug smile.

That afternoon, Nux had lunch with Slit, Angharad and Capable on Green Wood, while Cheedo and Dag wave at them from War Pig, and Angharad talks with them about her plans to add more tables.

She feels like she’s taking a bit too much space in the parking, which might be bad for the others carts, so she doesn't know if it's a good idea. They encourage her to do it, because Green Wood is the most beautiful cart by far, everybody loves to see it, and they would want to see it flourish even more.

Later that day, when Rev Head closes, Nux sees Ace Cream parked next to Many Moothers, and that’s strange.

He walks closer, slightly afraid, but they seem just to be talking about different ice-creams, in a similar way to how Toast and Slit talks about coffee.

It seems everything is ok, and Ace always seemed the less bad of all Joe’s parking, so Nux shrugs it off and leaves them with their ice-creams.

***

Another week passes without much novelty, except Nux being extra distracted at work, glancing and smiling at Capable over Green Wood, going to visit her whenever he can. In his defense, Capable does the same thing. It doesn’t seems to be a excuse good enough to an exasperated Slit, though.

On Thursday, they all go out to the same bar where they were the first time, because Toast says she’s tired of wake up every Friday with her clothes full of sand after roll with them on the beach.

They all drink a bit more than planned, and even if they are not really drunk, they can deny they are tipsy. They think about going to see if Doof Wagon is open, but their pride stops them (or that’s what they say), they are stronger than that stupid myth, they don’t need to go there every Thursday. It has nothing to do with the fact that they always find it close.

They end up in the girls’s place, playing Catan.

Nux and Slit have never played, and soon they all are hooked up on the game, playing several rounds.

Toast and Slit grow more and more competitive, and after a too heated argument over a sheep-wood transaction, they decide it’s a good idea to finish the game.

It’s way later than they had realized and the girls take pity on Nux and Slit and offer them to stay at their place, so they don’t have to walk home, and they are very grateful.

While everybody gets ready for bed, Capable stays with Nux in the corridor, in front of her room, holding hands, and it's the same awkwardness than the Saturday when they came back from the countryside.

A shy smile is playing on her lips, and when Nux is sure he's going to get to sleep cuddled up with Capable that night, suddenly Dag steps in the middle.

“Come on, ladies have to sleep.” See says, looking from Nux to Capable. “Nux! Be a gentleman and let the lady sleep, she needs to be fresh and rested for work tomorrow and she’s not going to be like that with you around.”

Nux is glad to see he’s not the only one blushing, Capable’s face is as red as her hair. She kisses Nux’s cheek, murmurs something and disappears into her room.

When Nux is walking back to the sitting room, he sees Dag holding Cheedo and getting her into her room. Before close the door, she smiles cheekily at Nux, and he snorts.

Slit is already passed out on the sofa, and Angharad’s ex-bed seems very tempting, but Nux feels uncomfortable about sleeping in her room without her knowing it and without her permission, even if it’s not really hers anymore. But she uses it sometimes, and it’s still like she left it, it feels her, and Nux can’t help it, it feels a bit intrusive.

So he nudges Slit until he manages to have some space in the sofa, even if small, and falls asleep knowing he’ll be all aching in the morning.

“So cute!” Cheedo’s squeal wakes Nux up, and he opens his eyes to find that somehow, Slit and him have cuddled up on the sofa in their sleep.

Dag is holding Cheedo from behind, cackling, and Toast is on the kitchen, her back to them, but Nux can see she’s shaking of laughter.

Capable walks into the sitting room and looks at the scene, covering her mouth with her hand to try and hide her laughs, without much success.

“What? I guess you all cuddle up too…” Nux says defensive, and at that Capable nods, a sweet smile on her face.

Their laughter wake up a very confused Slit.

Slit spends all Friday mad at Nux, but honestly, it’s not her fault the girls have decided to tease them just for cuddle a bit while they sleep…everybody does it. Capable says the girls snuggle up most nights too.

That doesn’t stop them from teasing them, and they take turns to go to Rev Head for a coffee and tell them how cute they are.

Later, the Many Moother ladies and Miss Giddy goes for coffee to Rev Head, and they drink them while looking at Nux and Slit  and giggling. Of course they know. Nux shakes his fist in the air against Dag, who just laughs louder.

At some point, Nux even find Furiosa and Max looking at them from War Pig and chuckling.

Nux gives Slit permission to be mad at him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nux and Capable go out for another date, and Nux gets into trouble without realize it. Poor dear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everybody leaving kudos, and specially thanks to Liisiko for the lovely comments!
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it, let me know your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> Apologizes if there are mistaakes or if my English is not good enough.
> 
> Your kudos and comments keep me going!

Saturday’s evening, Nux takes Capable for another ride.

This time, they go outside the town again but along the seascape, and he hopes Capable is enjoying the view, knowing her love for the seaside.

Nux stops the motorbike in a small cove, out of the beaten track.

Its little beach is surrounded by rocks and small caves, and it makes them remember Dag telling Cheedo things about mermaids that night they were on the beach, a couple of weeks ago. This cove seems the perfect place for mermaids to live, and they decide to take Dag and Cheedo here someday.

They lay down on the sand, looking at the stars and listening the sound of the waves, Capable curled up over his chest, Nux arm around her and his fingers playing with her hair.

“I’m starting to see why Slit and you love riding so much.” Capable says after a moment of silent. “I think I kind of like it, it’s…I don’t know…I can feel the air, and see and feel everything around…it’s…it’s hard to explain, it feels a bit like flying…like freedom…I don’t know.

She doesn’t have to explain more, because Nux understands perfectly what she feels, it’s the same that he does, and he’s glad Capable finds riding as enjoyable as him.

Nux smiles at her and kisses her forehead, stroking her hair, and he feels Capable almost purring. It makes him smile even wider.

They stay there in silent, just enjoying themselves, Capable fingers brushing over Nux’s chest while he do the same in her hair, and she trails tiny kisses over his neck, making him shudder.

A kiss to the spot where the neck joins the shoulder has Nux moaning quietly, and Capable smiles against his skin. She shifts until she straddles his hips, hands on his chest, smiling down at him.

Nux grins at her, enjoying her beauty, her curly hair waving behind her, she has never looked more like a Valkyrie than now. She’s so gorgeous, Nux can only look at her in awe.

“You are so beautiful.” He murmurs, and runs his hands up her sides reverently.

Capable leans down all the way over him and kisses him deeply, her fiery hair surrounding Nux’s face like a chrome curtain, and he wonders if he hadn’t died and gone to Valhalla.

Nux brushes his hands up his back and down again to settle them on her hips, making Capable whimper against his lips and press closer to him, and Nux whimpers in return.

After a moment, Capable pulls back again, seating up, and looks down at him, smiling. She stays silent for a moment, carefully stroking Nux’s face with her fingers. His hands are still on her hips, and he doesn’t move, simply enjoying Capable gentle ministrations.

“Don’t freak out, but I think I love you.” She says quietly after a while, a soft blush spreading over her cheeks, and Nux feels his heart beating so fast he wouldn’t be surprised if it got out of his chest.

“I think I love you too.” He whispers back, grinning at her, and he buries his hands on her hair, gently pulling her close again and kissing her.

When they leave the cove, it's late night, way later than any other day.

When Capable checks her mobile, she panics when she sees she has a couple of missing calls and several worried texts from the other girls, asking her when is she going home and if she’s okay.

“I forgot to text them telling them we were going out of the town and I would be home late.”  She says dismayed. “They must be so worried…I should have text them, they are very protective over me, they care, and I forgot…”

She looks so brokenhearted that Nux pulls her into his arms and kisses his forehead, feeling bad about making the girls worry too.

“I’m sure they know you are okay.” He says, and Capable texts them, saying she’s perfectly okay and she’ll be home soon.

When they arrive, there’s light inside her flat despite the late hour, and once again Nux feels horrible for having made the girls worry.

Capable brushes her lips against his in a quick kiss.

“Today has been lovely, really.” She smiles, and Nux nods, grinning back. “Couldn’t have been more perfect.” Another quick kiss and she’s gone.

***

Sunday morning Nux feels all eyes on him, as if everybody knew about yesterday. Slit says that it's his imagination, but he can't shake away the feeling.

Before Café No closes, Nux goes to apologize to Toast for made her worry yesterday. She scolds him, calls him irresponsible and yells at him a bit, but after it she just sighs, tells him to text them next time Capable is going to come back late, and gives him a pastry.

It could have been worse.

Next, she goes to Green Place to apologize to Angharad too, just in case, but she just smiles softly and says it's okay, and tells him to text next time, just like Toast does. That way they don’t have to worry, she says, and Nux still doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.

Before Nux can leave Green Place, Capable holds his hands and pulls him closer to her, kissing his lips.

“It was me who forgot to text.” She says, caressing his cheek. She looks worried about him, and that just makes Nux feel worse.

“I should have known they'd worry.” He replies, looking down.

“No, you didn't know, now stop doing penance you don't deserve.” Capable kisses him and goes back to help Angharad.

Before he can go back to Rev Head, he finds Dag walking towards Green Wood, and he stops her to apologize.

“It's okay. Just don't forget to let us know next time. We worry very much about Capable.” She says when Nux apologizes, and he feels very ashamed. “We worry about you too, by the way.”

Back in Rev Head, Furiosa waves at him from War Pig, gesturing him to go there. He didn't want to, but Furiosa keeps staring at him, so he goes. Cheedo is there too, but looking away from them.

“Capable is an adult woman and can take her own decisions and do whatever she wants.” Furiosa says without even let him say hi. “That doesn't stop me, us, for worrying.”

“I didn't know it was that late, I should have sent a text, I'm sorry.” Nux apologizes, not sure if Furiosa is talking about that or not, but just in case. Furiosa holds her hand up to stop him.

“Now you know. And also, you seem to be nice enough, but know that if she ends up hurt somehow, you'll regret it.” At that, Nux swallows hard, turns around and leave.

It still seems unfair to him being scolded like that when he hadn’t really do something bad, when he would never, ever hurt Capable. But he doesn’t want to fight with her friends, it would only make everything worse. And Nux knows they worry, and that’s something good, he supposes.

He just wishes they would trust him more.

Before he reaches Rev Head, he feels a soft hand grabbing his wrist. Cheedo.

“Nux, wait.” She says, looking at him very sympathetically. “Furiosa is mad now, but it won't last, okay? Don't take it to your heart.” Nux doesn't reply, he just looks down.

“Look, they all worry very much about Capable, they are very protective about her, and they have very good reasons to do so.” At that, Nux is curious, he's hoping Cheedo will explain why they act like that.

“I know you would never hurt Capable, the other girls know it too, even Furiosa knows it. We know you.” Cheedo says, no explanation.

“But that doesn't stop them from worrying. Just...Furiosa cares about you too, alright? She does. Let her be mad today and everything will be back to normal tomorrow. ” Nux nods slowly, because he wants to believe Cheedo.

The girl kisses his cheek and goes back to War Pig. Nux goes back to Rev Head, wondering why all they worry so much about Capable. Now he's the one worried.

Later, Capable goes to Rev Head.

“Angharad said I can have an hour free for lunch with you before everybody starts coming.” She says. “I know it's a bit earlier for lunch, but...” Nux is outside the van before she can finish the sentence.

He leaves Slit minding the counter, hoping he'll be alright, and goes to sit on a nearby bench.

“Dag gave us this. It's her free day, but she's cooking new things for the month and she wanted us try this, if we like them then she'll do them every day.” Capable opens a tupper, some avocado sushi rolls inside, and Nux smiles. Maybe Dag has forgiven him already.

“It's delicious.” He says after eating a roll, and it's true.

“I saw you earlier, with Cheedo.” Capable says when they finish the rolls, and Nux shifts awkwardly.

“I think is good she's friends with you and Slit now too, I feel she's opening up more to people, and that's good. She has always been very, very shy. At first, she only talked with Dag and Furiosa.” Capable explains, and Nux nods to show he's listening.

“She's an orphan, she lived with some distant relatives until no so long ago, a year more or less.” Capable says, and Nux hurts for Cheedo. He knows what kind of life is that. Slit and him had been orphans too, leaving together in an orphanage until Joe found them. At least Cheedo has never been in a place like that.

“Anyway, they told her now she was an adult she had to start paying for the rent, food and all that. Pretty rude considering she's family, if you ask me. Anyway, she was desperate trying to find a job, and a friend of the family told her he could help her.” Capable shifts closer to Nux, and he wraps an arm around her.

“The man told her she was very beautiful, that he could find her a job as a model with a friend if she wanted. Obviously, Cheedo accepted, and the man told her to meet up with him in couple of days. The man's intentions weren't so pure.” Capable is talking quietly now.

It takes him a while to realize what she means, but once he does, Nux shivers in rage, wondering how someone could have thought about doing something like that to sweet Cheedo, to anyone. Capable seems to notice, and she kisses his cheek to sooth him.

“Anyway, Cheedo and Dag had met a few weekends before that, because back them they both volunteered in an animal rescue shelter when they had time, taking care of the animals. Somehow, Dag had managed to befriend the shy girl.” Nux can imagine, it suited them perfectly.

“So, Cheedo called Dag, exited, to tell her about the job, and Dag felt something was wrong. She called Furiosa, who investigated a bit with the help of Max, and confirmed Dag's fears.” Nux remembers Dag telling him Max had been a cop long time ago, he must still having some contacts.

“Anyway, Dag and Furiosa took Cheedo from her relatives' place. She moved to live with Furiosa, and later she started working in War Pig, when we left. If Cheedo had already been shy and scared of strangers, after what happened she was worse.” Nux could imagine.

“But she's being improving. That's why I'm so happy she's friends with you, she's relaxed even around Slit now. I'm so glad.” Capable smiles to Nux, and Nux smiles back.

“I'm glad too.” He murmurs, burying his face on her neck.

“Why they all worry so much about you?” Nux ask after a moment of silent, looking up to Capable.

She tenses up. “They care...” She answers vaguely, looking away.

Nux wants to know, but he feels that pressuring her into tell him wouldn't be a good idea. He hopes she'll tell him someday, and he hopes if she's not telling him now it's not because she doesn't trust him. And then he stops hoping and overthinking because it’s making his head hurt.

When it's time to go back work, Nux walks Capable to Green Wood. Then, before going back to Rev Head, he goes to War Pig, gesturing to Cheedo to go out of the van.

When she does, Nux pulls her into a hug, without a word. Cheedo seems confused, but then, she grins at him and hugs him back.

When they part, Nux can see Furiosa's gaze has softened.

Later, when Green Wood closes, Toast comes back from home to have coffee with them. Angharad brings some chairs from Green Wood to Rev Head, and all them sat down there, talking and relaxing after a busy Sunday.

“I'm so tired...” Toast says, leaning back on her chair.

“You are tired? You only open the mornings and the weekends’ afternoons for brunch. We are here all day!” Slit complains.

“I open way earlier than you.” Toast glares at him. “And you'll be tired too if you'd work all morning, then you'd have to go to university at afternoon, and you'd spend most of your evenings studying and doing essays.”

“I didn't know you went to university.” Slit says, puzzled, just like Nux feels.

“Well now you know, and you know I have the right to be tired and complain.” Toast replies grumpily.

“What are you studying?” Slit asks awkwardly, and Nux is not sure if he's trying to apologize or if he's genuinely interested, but Nux wants to know what is she studying.

“History.” Toast replies.

“Well, that sounds boring.” Slit says, and Toast rolls her eyes.

“I like it.” She shrugs.

Now Nux wonders if maybe Capable has gone to university too. He realizes there are so many things he doesn't know about her yet...he wants to know everything. It's not like she lies to him, not entirely that she hides things from him, it's most that she doesn't tell him everything when it’s related to her past.

Like there are some things about her she's not willing to share. That makes Nux worry.

“Did you go to university too?” He asks. At least he knows she's not going now.

“Not long, only a year, I didn’t live in this town then.” Capable replies. “I had to quit...” She's tensing up now, looking away, like she does when she doesn't want to talk about something, like she does when she's talking about her past.

Nux knows better than to ask more.

Now that he knows that, though, Nux can’t help but worry thinking if maybe Capable considers him dumb. He didn't go to uni, he didn't even finished high school. Slit and him dropped out as soon as they were old enough to work for Joe. Back then, it had seemed the sensible thing to do, starting to earn money as soon as possible. A way of repay Joe for taking care of them, too.

“What are you thinking to be frowning like that.” Capable asks sweetly, caressing his frown with her knuckles, taking him away from his thoughts.

“Nothing, I got lost in thoughts.” Nux assures her, smiling, and she smiles back.

Capable is looking at him with loving eyes, gently brushing her fingers over his cheek and his jaw, and Nux feels certain she doesn't think he's dumb. It’s a pleasant feeling, reassuring, she makes him feel confident.

Nux leans over and brushes his lips against hers in a quick kiss, wondering once more how did he get this lucky.

Later that evening, when all the clients leave, they go to War Rig. Cheedo had been right, Furiosa wasn't mad at him anymore.

The all dine together there, Angharad, Dag, Cheedo, Toast, Capable, Slit, Furiosa, the Many Moothers ladies, Max, even Miss Giddy, who somehow is there so late.

Looking around to all that people, Nux can't help but grin.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on, more dates, more talks...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to RedFoxarrows, Liisiko, and FancyLadySnackCakes for their lovely comments in the last chapter, and thanks to everyone who left kudos.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writting it.
> 
> Apologizes if there are msitakes or if my English is not good enough, not my first lenguage!
> 
> Your comments and kudos make me happy!

Next week, everything seems to have come back to normal, and Nux admits that maybe he panicked a bit too much.

Still, it bothers him not knowing why everybody worried so much about Capable being late. She was with him, they should know he would never let anything bad happen to her.

Tuesday's evening, Capable and Nux decide to go out for a date, and this time is he who let everyone know that maybe, just maybe, Capable might be late today, although finally she isn’t.

This time they don’t ride out of the town, instead they go out for dinner to a place which is not in the promenade, for a change. After it, they go right back to Capable’s flat; after last time Nux doesn’t feel like making her being late again and getting scolded.

Dag and Cheedo are there, and they invite Nux in for tea. They end up talking for hours.

Nux tells to them, to Cheedo specially, that he and Slit were orphans too. They lived in an orphanage together, they didn’t remember their life before it, or a time when they weren’t friends. When Nux was seven and Slit nine, Joe took them from the orphanage and sent them to live with one of his relatives, who also worked in his parking.

Capable holds him close all the time, placing soft kisses on his cheek and temple from time to time, and Nux feels very loved and supported. He’s happy Capable now knows more about him and his life. He was complaining she didn’t talk to him about her past, but neither had him done the same for her.

He hopes it’d help the girls to understand and know him and Slit better. And he hopes Cheedo knows she can talk to them whenever she feels like crying about how bad was to be an orphan.

At least now all they have their makeshift family.

He doesn’t tell them that the reason they never had a foster family before Joe was because Slit and him refused to leave the orphanage unless they were together, and nobody had wanted to foster them together. Whenever one of them was sent with a family without the other, they misbehaved, ran away, and did everything they could to be sent back to the orphanage.

He doesn’t tell them the kind of job Slit and him did for Joe. He doesn’t want them to be disgusted, to hate them, and he’s sure they’d do it if they knew.

 When Nux leaves, it's later than he had realized.

Once in front of his door, Nux pats his pockets just to find he has forgotten his keys. He rings the bell, but Slit doesn't seem to be at home. Probably, he had decided to go out by himself instead of staying in the flat alone. Nux hopes he's safe, and he feels guilty for abandon him on their free day. He decides he'll repay him somehow.

Fortunately, Nux has spare keys in Rev Head, and he has the van's keys in the same keychain that his motorbike keys, so he can drive to the parking.

All carts are closed, Max is the only one who opens that late, so Nux is startled when he sees light inside War Pig. Fearing someone might be trying to steal something from Furiosa's van, Nux goes there and pecks inside.

When he sees what's actually happening, he turns around, rushes to his van, takes his spare key, and rushes back home.

***

Next morning, Nux sees Max walking to Rev Head, and he swallows hard. The man grunts something and waves her hand from him to War Pig, where Furiosa is staring at them.

“I didn't see anything.” Nux says a bit too quickly.

Max nods, and goes to War Pig.

Nux is regretting that the first thing he did when he arrived home yesterday night was text Dag to tell her what he had seen happening inside War Pig. By now, probably everybody knows.

It's evident when Cheedo can't help a giggle when Max sits in one of War Pig's stools. Nux can see that Toast, Angharad, Capable and Dag are looking at Max and Furiosa from Green Wood and murmuring things, and so are doing the Many Moother ladies and Miss Giddy, who had joined them.

Nux is fucked up.

***

It has become a tradition for them go out on Thursdays, and this time Angharad joins them again. They go to M.A.D for dinner, sitting down on the few tables it has.

Cheedo and Dag are whispering and smiling while looking at Max, and even the others have a hint of a teasing smile on their faces when they look at him.

Max frowns at Nux, and he tries to hide behind Capable.

“I mean, I don't want to work in a cart forever, selling coffee and waffles to the drunks.” Toast is saying. Nux had stopped paying attention to the conversation when Max glared at him, but he tries catch up now.

“I just do it because I need money to pay for my studies.” Toast says, sounding frustrated. “I'll just hope I can find a good job when I finish uni.”

“I'm sure you will!” Cheedo says cheerfully, and Toasts smiles to her. “You used to work in a bookstore, didn't you?”

Nux didn't know that, and when Toast nods, he wants to ask why she quitted, but Capable squeezing his hand stops him. She looks at him and shakes her head almost imperceptibly, letting him know that it's not a good moment.

“I've never thought about doing anything else than working on Rev Head.” Slit says, and Nux nods along. He has never had plans for the future, a year ago he didn't even imagined he would be the owner of a coffee cart.

“I used to want to have a real restaurant.” Angharad says. “But the more I work in Green Wood, the more I realize I don't want that anymore, I'm happy with my food cart. I like what I've done to it, I like where I work, and I like my job.”

Nux smiles, Angharad has good reasons to be proud of Green Wood.

“I don't think it's the same for us.” Slit talks again. “We didn't even finish high school, and it's not like there are a lot of jobs waiting for us.”

He's right, and Nux looks down sadly. Angharad studied catering, Toast is in university, Cheedo is thinking about starting next course, and probably Capable could go back to study again if she wanted. Probably she doesn't want to work in a food cart forever. Nux feels dumb and useless again.

Capable seems to notice that he's lost in bad thoughts, because she kisses his shoulder and holds him closer. Nux can't help a smile. She always makes everything better.

Dag is shaking her head at Slit “I dropped out of school too and I don't plan to work in a food cart forever.”

“You did?” Nux asks, curious, more things he didn't know about the girls.

“When I ran away from home. I left everything behind, it was a bit difficult to keep studying. But I had had enough, I wasn't going to let my father keep hitting me.” Nux's eyes wide in horror, but he can see in the girls' eyes, and in Max's too, that they already knew. “You don't want to know how I was surviving before Furiosa found me.”

He doesn't.

Nux looks at the girls. All them seem to have some sort of tragic past, and he doesn't doubt it's the same for Capable, considering how reluctant she's to talk about it.

Now he knows about Cheedo's and Dag's past, but there are also Angharad’s scars, Toast quitting her job for unknown reasons...

Nux really needs to know what happened to Capable.

***

Saturday is a rainy day, which means Nux and Capable can't go out for a ride.

They decided to have dinner in the same place they went the Tuesday, and go to the cinema afterwards. Just doing anything together and outside the parking is nice.

Later, it has stopped raining, so they decide to take a walk along the promenade, as they do some times, instead of going back home already.

“Did you tell the girls you were going to be late?” Nux asks when they sit in a dry bench, snuggling together and facing the sea. He wants to spend as much time alone with Capable as possible, but he doesn’t want to be scolded the next day again. Neither wants him to make his friends worry.

“Yes, it’s alright.” Capable replies, pecking his cheek before cuddling with him.

“Why do they worry so much?” Nux asks, unable to stop himself, although he doesn’t expect Capable to reply. He looks at her surprised when she does.

“Because of my ex.” She says.

Nux waits for her to elaborate, flitching anxiously, afraid she might not say more, although he tries to appear calm. Failing, probably.

“He was an asshole. Big one. And the girls and Furiosa knows you are not one, they like you, but they can’t help but worry now that they see me dating again. They want me to be alright.” Capable explains. “And I think they also might worry of him finding me, although I think it’s pretty improbable.”

“What happened?” Nux asks, he doesn’t want to pressure Capable but he wants to know. He’s feeling very distressed.

“Well…he was my first boyfriend, we met in high school.” Capable says after a long silence. “Now I can see everything that was wrong with him, but back then I was in love and I didn’t realize.”

“Anyway, all went to hell when we went to uni and moved together. He started to control me a lot. He walked me to all my classes and back home, he controlled where I was going and with whom, and soon he didn’t allow me to go out with anybody but him. And he stopped my friends from seeing me. He always behaved lovely with me when we were outside in public, though.”

Nux is listening silently, not wanting to interrupt her now that she is opening up. But it’s too horrible to think something like that had happened to Capable. He brushes his fingers through her hair while he waits for her to keep talking.

“And well, I wasn’t going to allow him to do that. So one day I stood up for myself, told him I was going to leave, and well, he reacted violently.” Capable’s voice shakes at that and she shifts a bit closer, as if to shield herself from the memories.

Nux pulls her closer, feeling his blood burning in rage. He wants to find the man who hurt Capable and kill him. But probably Capable would hate to know what he’s thinking, and he’s there to comfort her, not to scare her more, so Nux tries to stay calm, at least outside.

“Since then, he began locking me inside our flat, taking away my phone and everything, saying I was only his…” Capable has a face of pure disgust and hate as she talks, like Nux had never seen her, like she might actually not mind him thinking about beating the shit out of her ex. “And it was horrible. I didn’t know what to do, I felt so useless, I felt so hopeless…”

Her voice is breaking again and Nux can’t stop himself more, he hugs her tight and kisses her forehead, unable to say anything but hoping to make her feel safe and comforted somehow. He is ready to let her go if he feels her tensing or wanting to get out of his arms, but Capable only nestles against his chest before keep talking.

“Until one day, he left and forgot to lock the door. So I took the cash I had and left without much more, I ran and ran and ran until I was far from our flat, as far as I could. Then I went into a bar and called a childhood friend, someone I hadn’t seen in a long time, but who I was sure would help me. Angharad.” Capable smiles when she says her name, and Nux arches his eyebrows in surprise. She hadn’t known they knew each other before Furiosa.

“We were friends when we were little kids, Angharad is a few years older than me, so I always followed her everywhere, tried to be like her…” The idea of little Capable following Angharad around was so sweet that Nux almost smiled.

“We had grown apart, but I knew she would help me, and she did. She was living several hours away from me, but she drove to my town, picked me up, and drove me here, saying I could stay with her. She was living with Toast and Dag, and she introduced me to them and Furiosa.  Soon, I was living and working with them, and since then I always felt like we were family.”

Nux nods, he can understand that feeling easily. It was the same that had happened to him and Slit when they ran away from Joe and started working in the parking.

He can see why the others worry so much about Capable, after all she has endured. Even if he would never do something like that to her. He’s certain Capable was lucky to get out of her situation, because there were a high chance of her ending up much, much worse. That thought makes him cling to her tightly, but Capable doesn’t complain.

“Are you sure he can’t find you?” Nux asks.

“Pretty sure, I understand they worry about it, but I think it’s impossible. He doesn’t know about Angharad, he doesn’t know where I went.” Capable replies, and she kisses Nux’s cheek.

On one hand, Nux feels frustrated about it, because that means he couldn’t get to beat the shit out of the bastard. But he knows that’s a selfish thought. Over everything, Nux wants Capable to be safe, and that means staying away from his ex.

“It’s alright. I’m okay now.” Capable must be feeling his all tensed up and boiling with rage, because she’s moving away to look at him and kiss him gently.

“I’m should be the one comforting you…” Nux murmurs, a bit ashamed of himself.

“You do.” Capable replies, smiling softly. “If not, I wouldn’t have tell you all this.”

“I’m glad you did, I’m glad you want me knowing things about you.” Nux replies, and Capable kisses him before curling up with him again.

“Anyway, I think that now that I’m dating you, they also worry I might end up in the middle of whatever vendetta Joe might have against you and Slit.” Capable says, and Nux feels very embarrassed.

“I’m sorry about it…” He apologizes, but Capable shakes her head and kisses him.

“It’s alright, it’s not your fault, and anyway they know you.” She assures him, and Nux hopes she’s right.

They stay in the promenade a bit longer, just enjoying each other company and comfort, and the sound of the sea, until the clouds threaten them with rain again.

Once they go to Capable's, there's no light in the flat's balcony, and Nux is glad they didn't make the girls worry.

Capable kisses him goodbye, but she didn't let go of him when their lips part.

“I was thinking that maybe you could stay for the night, if you want?” She asks, her cheeks blushing. Nux eyes light up and his heart flutters.

“Yes, yes, of course, I'd love it.” Nux replies, not too eagerly, he hopes, but Capable just laughs and kisses him again.

“I'm afraid this time you don't have Slit here to cuddle on the sofa.” Capable teases. “You'll have to content yourself snuggling with me.”

Nux snorts, but follows Capable into her flat and inside her room like a happy puppy.

If Dag is surprised of see him there next morning, she doesn't say a word. Nux begs, actually begs, to Dag not to tell everyone. She giggles, but accepts, except for Cheedo, of course she'll tell Cheedo.

Toast is not there, she opens her cart very early in the morning, so she had already left the flat a couple of hours ago. At least that way she can't tease him, Nux  is glad about it.

When they go to the parking, Slit is already there, waiting for them with Toast in Café No, so there's no way of hiding it from them. Not that Nux wants to, he's just worried about Furiosa, Max and the Many Moothers knowing where he spent the night, he's not really sure why.

“Seems you found a better place to sleep last night.” Slit teases him, and Nux shushes him, but can’t help his silly smile as he nods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I don't really "really" ship Max and Furiosa. I don't mind the ship, I've read fics about them which are great and absolutely lovely, but I'm not sure if I really ship them, I need to think about it more.
> 
> But the idea of Nux finding them doing thigs in secret came to my mind and it was so hilarous I couldn't help myself.
> 
> Whatever you think they were doing or what kind relationship they have, it's up to you and your mind ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group get into trouble.  
> Another great summary by me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to FancyLadySnackCakes, Liisiko and RedFoxarrows for their comments, and thanks to everyone who left kudos.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know your thoughts, and apologizes if there are mistakes and if my English is not good enough.
> 
> Your comments and kudos makes me happy.
> 
> (I feel my English was specially bad in this chapter, apologizes).

Next  week, Nux can’ help but being extra clingy with Capable, spending more time around her in Green Wood than in Rev Head (for Slit’s exasperation),until he makes her tell him off  very exasperatedly even if very gently too, about how she’s an adult woman who doesn’t need him around her all the time, and that she actually enjoys some time alone, and to stop looking at her with those scolded puppy eyes while she talks.

Many Moothers are watching the whole exchange and laughing, and a chastised Nux goes back to Rev Head.

Later that day, though, when they are closing, Capable comes to pick him up for a walk, easing Nux fears of her being mad at him and not wanting to see him.

When he confesses his fears to Capable, she frowns and pulls him into a hug. She explains to him that if they argue about something, especially little silly things like today, it doesn’t mean she’s angry at him. And that even if she were mad, that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t want to see him.

Nux tries to believe her, because it’s a comforting thought.

“I was feeling just a bit overwhelmed, it happens to me sometimes.” Capable explains. “But you are very sweet and caring and I love it, I love to know you care about me, and I love you. I’m so, so happy knowing you are here with me when I need you, I’m very glad I have you.”

Nux feels way, way better after hearing that. It something Capable always does, comforting him and reassuring him when she feels he’s feeling down and insecure. She always manages to make it work.

***

They go out the Thursday's evening as usual, without Angharad this time.

Somehow, they end up a little tipsy, and even if they had promised they wouldn't try to find the Doof Wagon open, they go.

Not surprisingly, it's closed. They don't know if it's because it's too early for it, or because they are not drunk. It might be all just something that you imagine while drunk? But everybody has seen it...this cart is weird.

Almost every other cart is open, thought, it's not as late as they usually went. That includes Joe's Joe big truck.

There are a couple of boys in the counter, looking warily at them, and Nux decides it's time to retreat. He knows what those boys are, and he doesn’t want the girls been involved in whatever problem they have with Slit and him.

Before they can leave, though, a boy who obviously works for Joe is walking towards them.

“You shouldn't be here.” He says, and Nux bits his tongue to not reply because he really doesn’t want to have problems with them, not now.

“Do you own the parking or what?” Before they can do anything, Dag is stepping in front of them and hissing at the boy.

“Wasn't talking to you.” He said, pushing Dag hard against Cheedo.

At that, Slit loses it and jumps to the boy, managing to send him to the floor with a punch.

Another boy is rushing towards them and Nux is ready to throw himself against him while Slit keep struggling with the other, but Capable holds him firmly in place, yelling to them to stop.

When he manages to escape from her grip, Toast has already walked next to Slit and took hold of the new boy before he can hit Slit. She head-butt him and with a knee to his gut she manages to make the boy fall to the floor. Even in that context, it was pretty impressive to watch. And quite a surprise, considering how small Toast is and how calm and self-controlled she usually looks.

Slit and Toast seem ready to keep fighting if necessary, but Nux knows that more boys are going to arrive soon. No matter what his guts want, he knows they have to leave. It’s not safe.

They rush out of the parking and towards the promenade as fast as they can, and walk home in silence.

The girls invite Nux and Slit in, but nobody is really in the mood for talking or doing anything at all. After assuring Slit that is perfectly okay for him to sleep in Angharad's ex-room, they all go to sleep, Nux to Capable’s room.

Nux can't help but feel useless and guilty. He should have done something, just like Slit and Toast, no matter if Capable doesn't like to see them fighting. He also knew they should have never gone there.

He had warned Cheedo from going to Joe's parking, and yet him and Slit have brought the girls there several times, knowing fully well the hatred Joe had against them and against all the food carts owners of the other parking.

It had been reckless.

Nux is curled up with Capable, his head resting on her chest, and she's stroking his head, trying to calm him down, but it's not working.

“He actually owns the parking.” He explains, remembering what Dag had said to the boy. “He bought the whole place, long time ago.”

“That sucks for the people working there.” Capable replies, and Nux nods.

“It does, indeed. Some of the carts are from his friends, but mostly he allows people to have their carts there as long as they pay him a big part of what they earn daily. If they don’t, they get into serious trouble with him.”

“Kind of sounds like the mafia.” Capable says, sounding a bit puzzled.

“Kind of it’s, like… the mafia of the food carts?” It sounds silly, but Nux knows it's true, and he needs Capable to understand how dangerous Joe can be, no matter if it might sound silly. Joe is not only the owner of a cheap food cart, the majority of his business and money come from the places he rents in the parking, and the taxes he asks to the cart owners.

“He has boys who bully the cart owners to make them pay and to prevent them from leaving. If they don’t pay, or if they are thinking about leaving to other place, they bully them, scare them. If they still don’t pay…well, they get more aggressive.” Nux explains. “They do the same to people Joe doesn’t want in his parking, as you have seen today.”

Nux stops for a moment, taking a deep breath. He’s reluctant to keep talking, to let Capable know about the worst parts of his past. But Capable had told him about hers, had opened up to him, and he wants to do the same to her.

But he can’t help being fearful, he doesn’t want her to be disgusted at him, to disappoint her. And he knows she’s not going to like what he has to say.

“I was one of them when I worked for Joe, did than things too.” He finally says, flitching awkwardly in the bed.

“I thought you served coffee for him, scaring rude people and people who give problems off or something...” Capable says, and he shakes his head. “I thought Slit and you were baristas there too, as you are now…”

Nux hides his face, almost stop breathing. He hopes Capable knows he’s not like that anymore, he hopes she won’t send him away. His brain is creating the worse scenarios, Capable hating him now, Capable disgusted by him…

But after a moment, Capable's fingers brush over his skull again, and that eases him a bit, she can't be very mad at him then.

“I didn’t think you were like that. I thought…I don’t know.” She doesn’t sound mad, just sad, Nux feels very ashamed. “Tell me about it.”

“Well...you know Joe took us from the orphanage and we were living with one of his relatives.” Nux began, looking up from Capable's chest, and she nods. He doesn’t want to tell her about it, doesn’t want her to know they kind of things they did, but neither wants him to hide things from her.

 “I know it sounds strange to you, maybe, but it really felt like he was taking care of us, Slit and I had finally a family and were together…” Capable holds him a bit tighter, and that encourages Nux to keep talking.

“In our early teens, we helped in the carts a bit, helping serving food and drinks and that kind of things. But when we were old enough, we started working for Joe, as ‘Joe’s boys’ as he calls them.” Nux remembers how excited and proud he had been. He doesn't say it thought, Capable is probably disappointed enough already.

 “It was fun, I found it fun, sometimes...” Nux is hiding his face in shame again, hoping Capable won't hate him much. But he wants to be honest with her, he owns her. He wants her to know everything about him.  “Just...going around the parking, intimidating people, scaring people off. I felt…I don’t know…but it felt good. It felt like repaying Joe, too.”

“It's when you made your scars, isn't it?” Capable asks and Nux nods, his face still almost hidden.

“But then, one day...there was this cart, the owner had work there for years, I had known him for a long time, since being a kid, a friend...Well, he wasn't paying, he had some problems and wasn't earning enough.” Capable's fingers come back to his head, and Nux sooths a bit. He realizes he has been sounding more anxious than he had thought, flinching next to Capable.

“Joe asked us to take care of him and to take apart his cart. I couldn't. It wasn't the same that scaring people off the parking. It wasn’t the same that doing it to someone I didn’t know…That was the first time I started to think that what we were doing wasn’t good.” He should have realized earlier, but he didn't even thought about it back then.

“It wasn’t the man’s fault he wasn’t having enough clients, he had tried, I knew he had, it wasn’t like he wanted to fool Joe… And maybe it was the same for the other carts? I hadn’t thought about it before. I was such a stupid kid.” He is so ashamed now.

“I started to wonder if maybe Joe wasn't that good. And I know it might seem evident, but for me it wasn't. He had saved me, given Slit and me a new life, family, job...Anyway, I talked to Slit, he didn’t really understand it, but he said if I wanted to leave he'd leave with me.” And Nux will be always grateful to him.

“We had to think a way to leave and survive. We had seen how the food carts worked, and so we thought maybe we could manage to have one. So we left to start Rev Head.”

It might not seem like a good idea to start a business in a place separated of Joe's parking by only a promenade, but they hadn't know where else to go, it had been difficult enough to learn how to start the business. They just did their best.

“Obviously, Joe didn't like it. And you know the rest.” Nux says.

“Yes, he crashed one of his vans against yours.” Capable says quietly, nodding.

“I guess he wanted to scare me off, if he'd wanted me dead, he only needed to have told the van to crash against me when I was driving the motorbike instead of the van.

Capable holds his head up at that, eyes full of fear and concern, and Nux kisses her shoulder, quick and gentle, as an apologize.

“We are safe now.” He says, hoping it's true.

Nux knows the girls have Furiosa and the others to take care of them, and he's positive they would also look after Slit and him if they needed it. But they are not to going back to Joe's parking, and Nux hopes he won't try to do anything against them. It had been a year since the last, and first, accident, until this night.

“I just…” He begins. “Sometimes I wonder, if maybe, if I hadn’t know the owner of the cart, I would have done anything Joe had told me…I wouldn’t have cared…I don’t know… I hadn’t cared before…”

Nux knows he shouldn’t be saying things like that to Capable, he has already said enough bad things, the kind of messed up things he used to do. He used to be as cruel as Joe. She’s disappointed on him enough.

But it feels so good to let it out of his chest. It feels so good, knowing that Capable knows everything about him, the good and the bad. And she had always been tender with him, always understanding.

Capable doesn’t say anything for a long time, worrying Nux, but neither is she pushing him away. Finally she lets out a deep sigh.

“I guess what matter is that at the end you realized it was bad… Although, I didn’t expect that from you. I can’t imagine you doing things like that.” She says, Nux feels like he has been punched.

“But I know how important is to feel that you belong to something, to someone, when you have had nothing. I know what’s to have problems and deal with them the only way you can. I know what’s not seeing the true until it’s too late.”

“But I think, or I want to think, that you are not like that anymore, that you regret it. I know how kind and sweet you can be.” At that, Nux rushes to assure her that he is not like that, that he regrets it, but Capable shushes him.

“I’m not going to judge you now for what you did in the past, not when you are trying to change it. I don’t think it’s fair. I know that you are different now, I know you. You are good.” She says, and Nux feels so relieved he could cry.  “You did what you did because you thought it was what you had to. And now you can see it was wrong. And I like the person you are now. We all make mistakes, and we learn.”

“You were a kid when Joe took you, obviously you thought what he did was the right thing. I’m glad you eventually saw it was wrong, even if it took you so long.” Nux hides his face in shame again. She’s right, he should have left earlier. He wasn’t a kid anymore when he started to bully and beat up the people Joe asked him. He was fourteen and Slit was sixteen when Joe promoted them.

“Or maybe I’m so blindly in love that I forgive you everything…” If Capable didn’t sound so serious and even a bit concerned, Nux would grin at her words. She had said she’s blindly in love with him…Nux’s heart is fluttering in his chest and his stomach is doing funny things.

“I promise I’m not like that anymore. I promise I regret it. I was stupid.” Nux tries to sound serious, tries not to smile as a fool, and he means what he's saying. “I didn’t realize, I was a kid as you say, stupid…I’m sorry, I really am...”

“I know.” Capable says, shushing him with a finger to his mouth, but she still sounds a bit sadder than what Nux would like.

“I’m sorry I disappoint you.” He murmurs.

“It’s alright, I’m glad you told me even if you knew I wasn’t going to like it.” Her smile is more genuine now. “You were brave.”

That wasn’t what Nux was expecting, and he smiles at her.

“Damn are your puppy eyes, it’s not fair…” Capable murmurs, closing her eyes.

Not long later, they are already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I believe that Capable loving Nux + his puppy eyes it's what makes Capable forgive his past relatively easily. Sad but true. I don't think it's bad, and considering I wrote it I should agree with her, but in my case, I think it would have been so easy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are consequences for messing with Joe and his boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Liisiko and RedFoxarrows for their comments, you always make my day. And thanks to everyone leaving kudos, is nice to see some people are enjoying this story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new chapter, let me know your thoughts if you have time.  
> Slightly shorter chapter, I'm sorry.
> 
> Apologizes if there are mistakes, and I'm sorry for my quite mediocre English.
> 
> Your comments and kudos make me happy!

Nex morning, they all wake up early enough to stay goodbye to Toast, who goes to work when the sun begins to rise.

They are still moody, but calmer.

Toast has a bruise on her forehead, probably from when she head-butted the boy, and more on her arms from when the boy tried to hold her, but she dismissed it without a word. Slit does the same with his split eyebrow and bruised cheekbone.

They hear the door opening half an hour after Toast left, and she walks in, looking very worried. She looks at Nux and Slit.

“I have to tell you something, but don't freak out.” That's enough to make them freak out.

Fifteen minutes later, they are all in the parking, including Furiosa and Max, looking at the state of Rev Head's van: Four flat tires and bodywork scratched angrily. At least it's still in one piece.

Everybody knows who had done it.

When Nux realizes Slit has left, he's almost out the parking, and when he reaches him, he's not sure if it's to drag him back or to go with him to Joe's Joe and find the boys who did this to their van.

Finally, it’s Furiosa who walks them back to the parking.

“We'll help you with the van.” She tells them, her voice calm and soothing as always. “Don't do anything more reckless.”

At that, Nux realizes Furiosa knows about the fight, and Nux feels very ashamed and guilty. He wonders why she isn't yelling at them for putting the girls, and everybody else in danger.

Cheedo has told him that Furiosa cares about Slit and him too, and it's seems it's true, although Nux doesn't feel like he deserves it.

Later that morning, Max drives Slit and Nux to buy new tires, there's no way of repairing the old ones. They are too expensive considering their little budget, but they manage.

“If Furiosa had seen Toast beating up a Joe’s boy yesterday, she'd have been proud.” Slit says to Max during the drive back, startling Nux. But he sees Max is almost smiling.

“I let her know.” He replies.

Nux is totally lost.

“What was all that of Furiosa being proud of Toast punching people?” Nux asks when Slit and him are finished changing the wheels.

“Furiosa is who taught Toast how to fight, I think she'll like to know she does it well.” Slit replies, puzzling Nux.

“How do you know that?” He asks.

“Toast told me.” It seems like Slit isn't going to say more, but Nux looks at him with pleading puppy eyes until he sighs and keeps talking.

“Don't tell her I told you. You remember she said she used to work in a bookshop, right? Well, it seems that a guy who went there daily was infatuated with her, not in a good way. He started following her home every day. It scared Toast, and so she quit her job and moved to another flat. The man found her again, following her every time she went outside.”

Nux listen horrified, thinking how terrifying that must have been for Toast.

“At some point, she lashed out against the man. He was stronger than her.” At that point, Slit was looking like if he'd shred the man if he found him. Nux would do it too. Probably Furiosa would help them.

“Anyway, Furiosa read about it in a newspaper. She went to visit Toast, who was recovering in a hospital. She told her about a friend, who was renting Café No at a very good price, and offered to teach her self-defense. Toast accepted, and when she healed, she started working in Café No and training with Furiosa.”

Nux had been right thinking that all the girls' back stories were horrific. He’s glad all of them, even Slit and him, have Furiosa.

***

By Saturday morning, Rev Head is back to business, although the van looks pretty worn out. They had painted over the scratches, but they are still noticeable.  They have no money to do anything more.

That evening, Nux and Capable ride to the cove where they went a couple of weeks ago. Nux feels he needs to be away from the parking, from everything, and alone with Capable.

“What’d have you done yesterday if Furiosa hadn’t stopped you and Slit from going to Joe’s?” Capable asks. They are sat down on the sand, cuddled together.

Nux doesn’t reply, doesn’t want to. Capable knows anyway, he’s sure.

“You can’t just solve all your problems like that. I thought you weren’t like that anymore.” Her voice is calm, if only a little bit sad.

Nux doesn’t think it’s fair. It’s not the same, Joe is bad, he deserves it. He's the one harassing them. He thought Capable would understand.

“Joe started it, he’s the one who keeps ruining my van.” He sounds angrier than he wants, he doesn’t want to talk to Capable like that, but he can’t help it. It’s all Joe’s fault.

“So what? You go to his parking, get into a fight with his boys, who by the way are more than Slit and you, try to do the same to his truck, and what do you win?” Her tone is scolding now, and Nux groans.

“Vengeance?” He says, that’s what Slit would say. And probably not what Capable wants to hear. “Make him stop messing with us?”

“I don’t think it would work. He would reply to your attack, and then you to his, and so on and so on.” And alright, maybe Capable has a point, but does she want him to do nothing while Joe keeps trying to ruin his business and his life? Nux just can’t.

“Besides, you have to be better than that. You can’t just do the same as Joe, because you are not like him. You are better than him, I know it.”

At that, Nux feels suddenly sad and he can’t understand why. Maybe Capable is right, maybe he hopes she’s right, Nux doesn’t know. He feels like maybe she has a point, maybe she’s right, but at the same time he thinks he’s right too, he can’t just ignore Joe and do nothing about it. It's all very confusing.

Nux doesn’t know what to think, what to feel, and it’s all so confusing, tiring and frustrating, that he groans softly and lies down on the sand.

 Capable shifts until she’s lying over his chest. It’s comforting. Nux moves a hand to gently caress her hair.

“Are you mad at me?” He asks.

“No. I don’t know. I mean…” Capable stops for a moment. “I’m not mad, I just don’t like to think on you doing the same things than Joe’s boys again.”

“It’s not the same.” Nux murmurs, a bit defensive. “I’m sorry I keep disappointing you.” He adds, and he means it.

“I’m sorry I keep scolding you.” Capable replies, and they smile at each other.

“But promise me you won't do anything like that.” Capable says, and Nux lets out a sigh.

“Okay.” He finally agrees. Capable has made good points, and also he doesn't want her to think he's like he used to be, a reckless bully.

“I know it was me who started it, but can we stop talking about it?” Capable asks.

“Yes, please.” Nux replies, he went to that cove to not think about Joe. He didn’t want to fight with Capable. Joe always ruins everything.

Nux knows that it’s not over, though. They still have different opinions about the matter, and Nux tries to think that it’s not a bad thing, they can’t just think the same in everything. He tries not to let it scare him, Capable is not going to leave him just because they disagree in something. She has already assured him that.

Nux knows he needs to think about what she has said, try to understand it, because maybe she’s right, and anyway he wants to be better for her. But he doesn’t want to think about it now. He has had enough of Joe. He didn’t want him to ruin him this night too.

“Next time we come, we have to bring Cheedo and Dag, we said it.” Nux says after a moment of silence, trying to talk about something else. “Mermaids and that.”

“Yes! We should come with everybody. It’ll be fun.” Capable has sat up a bit, so she can look down at Nux, and she’s smiling at him.

“Sure, maybe a picnic or something, whenever we are all free.” For him, it doesn’t sound as nice  as being alone there with Capable, but sounds fun enough indeed, and it seems to make her happy. It’s kind of selfish to keep such a beautiful place only for them, Nux guesses.

Gently, Nux shifts Capable until she’s straddling him. She smiles sweetly to him, and Nux can’t help it, he loves to watch her like that, over him. He reaches out to brush her braids behind her shoulders, his fingers lingering a bit in her chrome hair.

“Will you stay at mine tonight? Capable asks, running her hands over his chest, and Nux lets out a sigh. He doesn’t know what to do.

There’s nothing he wants to do more than stay with Capable, but he has been sleeping at her place almost every night of the last week, and he feels he’s neglecting Slit a bit. Nux had seen him only while they were working, and he feels guilty.

He’s not his coworker, Slit is his friend, and Nux knows he’s having a hard time with all what is happening with Joe too, even if he doesn’t say it. Somehow, it doesn’t feel right to leave him alone again, not especially after all that had happened.

But Capable is warm over him, soft hands brushing over his stomach and Nux doesn’t know what to do. He makes a non-committal noise.

He grins when he finds what he thinks it’s the perfect solution.

“I was thinking, maybe would you like to come to my place tonight?” That way, he’ll see Slit, feels like he’s not neglecting him, and let him know that he’s still there for him (even if Slit would laugh at him if he hear him saying such cheesy thing). And he’ll still have Capable. It’s perfect.

Capable seems to like the idea because she’s smiling at him. “Sure, I haven’t seen your flat yet, I’m curious.”

And now he thinks maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea. Nux can’t remember the last time they tidied up the flat. He just hopes it’s not too disastrous. He’s sure Capable won’t complain, but still, it’s a bit embarrassing.

***

When they arrive to the flat, a couple of hours later, the lights are off and Slit is nowhere to be seen. Nux wonders if he has gone out by himself again. He wishes he would have told him. And now he’s thinking a bit too much like Furiosa.

“Is Slit asleep?” Capable murmurs, and Nux shrugs, leading her to his bedroom.

He leaves her there, snooping around, while he’s going to check if Slit is in his room. He opens the door, closes it quickly almost in the same second, and rushes back to his bedroom.

Capable is sat down on his bed, but before Nux can say anything, the door opens and Toast storms in.

“I swear if you tell someone I’ll…” Toast stops threatening him when she sees Capable. She stares at her, wide eyed for a second, blushes, and leaves.

Capable looks at Nux, open mouthed, while he sits next to her.

“Did you know?”

“No idea”

They both start giggling like kids.

When they manage to stop laughing, Capable sends a text to Dag, hoping she’s awake and ready to gossip. She’s going to love this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...
> 
> Toast and Slit. I kind of ship it somehow, in fanon universe at least. But it's not really an OTP for me, not like Nuxable.  
> I wasn't planning this, it just sort of happened. No matter I wrote it, I know the same than Nux about their relationship.
> 
> So it's really open to all you reading this and your minds: Are they dating? Or it's just a one-night-stand-thing? They have been sleeping together more nights, or they just feel lonely that day? So many questions. Up to you!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some teasing and a day trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to FancyLadySnackCakes, Liisiko and RexFoxarrows for their lovely comments, they make me want to keep going.
> 
> And thanks to everyone who is reading this, because I didn't expt it to have 1000 hits and here I'm, 1100 right now. It might be little, considering other fics, but it means the world to me. I'm a bit concerned because only 50 of them left kudos and only three people usually comment, so I'm worried most of the people think this is a really bad fic. But I'm grateful people is reading it nonetheless.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter, please let me know your thoughts if you have time.
> 
> Apologizes if there are mistakes and if my English is too mediocre.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Nux wakes up cuddled with Capable, his arms around her waist and her back against his chest. He doesn’t think he could get used to this, to wake up next to her without feeling a wave of amazement at his luck.

He had confessed it to Capable a few mornings ago, when he was still half asleep on her bed. She had said he shouldn’t feel like that, or that in any case, she was lucky too, waking up with him. Capable was always that sweet. Still, he couldn’t help himself from feeling lucky.

Capable turns around, murmuring something sleepily and burying her face on his chest. Nux caresses her hair and thinks, not for the first time, about changing Rev Head closing day to Thursday, like Green Wood, so Capable and him could stay all morning, and maybe all day, cuddling in bed. He should talk about it to Slit…

And talking about Slit…

“Capable, don’t you want to see if Toast is still here?” Nux asks, and Capable looks up from his chest, smiling mischievously.

“Yes!”

She begins to sit up, but seems to think it better half way, and instead she hovers over Nux. He can only grin idly, looking at her. Her hair is a mess of tangled curls, but it still looks more shine than cooper somehow, and it tickles Nux. He could never be tired of run his fingers through it.

“Good morning, by the way.” Capable says, kissing Nux.

“Good morning.” He replies, tugging at her until she’s lying over his chest, reluctant to let her go, not even to gossip about their friends.

“It’s past Café No’s opening hour anyway, so probably Toast already left.” Capable says, indulging Nux, and tracing lazy kisses over his neck.

“Do you think they are dating? I didn’t think they could pass from fighting every day about coffee to this…whatever is this.” Nux says, although Capable’s kisses are starting to make him feel a bit unfocused.

“I didn’t expect it either.” Capable says, stopping her kisses, and Nux whines a bit. “But I don’t know if they are really dating…I guess they maybe felt alone last night? I don’t know…”

Neither knows Nux, but he supposes Capable is right. Either way, he wants Slit to be happy, and Toast too. Whatever makes them happy is good with him. And probably Capable is right, but he can’t help but think how nice it would be if they were dating too.

Capable sits up against the headboard and cradles Nux on her lap, to which he lets out a happy sound. She’s looking around, examining his room at the daylight. There’s not much to see, though, just a bed, a chair, a small table, and a closet, although most of his clothes are spread over the chair and the table.

The only thing decorating the white walls is a poster of a Chevrolet Window Coupe 1934. It’s his favourite car, Nux explains to Capable, and he hopes he’ll own one one day. But for now, he can only dream about having enough money.

“As much as I’d like to stay here all day, there’s people needing you to caffeinate them, and not much later Angharad will need me.” Capable says, and they both get out of the bed lazily.

They find Slit having breakfast in the kitchen, black coffee, and he glares a Nux. In spite of it, Nux can’t help but smile at him, he wants Slit to tell him everything about Toast and him. Slit only glares more. When Capable and Nux try to ask, he only barks at them and leaves the flat.

Nux face falls at it. It hadn’t been his intention to annoy Slit, even if he had wanted to tease him a bit. But Slit seems to be in a very bad mood, which means their day in Rev Head is going to be shit, and also Nux doesn’t want his friend to be upset.

“No, stop with the puppy eyes now! If not we are going to be late for work.” Capable is saying, and Nux almost whines aloud. Is she going to be annoyed too? That would be too much.

But Capable is pulling his head down towards her lips and she kisses his forehead. Nux can’t help but smile like a fool. Not annoyed then.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to those eyes, one sad look and you can get whatever you want.” She says, and Nux shrugs. That’s never his intention, is just the way his eyes look. Well, almost never his intention.

“Don’t worry so much. Slit is mad but it’ll be over soon enough. Probably Toast is annoyed because we found them and she’s been yelling at him, and Slit is annoyed too. But it’ll pass.” Capable says, and Nux hopes she’s right.

Nux gives Capable a ride to her place, so she can change clothes before going work, and then he goes to the parking.

Slit is already there, Rev Head opened earlier than usual. When Nux goes inside the van, Slit doesn’t say a word but glares at Nux.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Nux apologizes, sounding a bit more defensive than he had intended, and Slit still doesn’t talk to him.

A bit later, Capable walks into the parking, and before going to Green Wood, she stops on Rev Head to say hi and kiss Nux. Slit actually greets her without a glare, and Nux thinks it’s a bit unfair he’s angrier with him and not with her, but mostly he feels relieved.

Before the afternoon’s peak, when there are still not many clients in the parking, Dag goes to War Pig to talk with Cheedo. They look at Slit and giggle, trying to hide it not very successfully. Nux remembers that Capable and him text her about Slit and Toast last night. Bad idea.

Slit glares at him and Nux looks down, feeling guilty. He had only wanted to tease him a bit, like he did to him about Capable, he hadn’t wanted to make him this angry.

“I’m sorry, really, I am.” He says, hoping to sound as genuine as he really feels. “I didn’t know Toast was there, if not I wouldn’t have gone. I’m sorry. If I had known, if you had told me, I wouldn’t have gone, really.”

“I didn’t think you were going home last night, you have been sleeping in Capable’s all week, I thought you were going to sleep there yesterday too and I was going to be alone at the flat.” Slit replies, and Nux feels even worse.

“I know, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a shitty friend, I’ll stay this night and we can catch up in The Walking Dead.” Nux says. He loves Capable with all his heart, but Slit has been his best friend all his life and he knows lately he has been a shitty friend, only seeing him at work and with his head lost in Capable.

“That’s not what I meant, I don’t need you to be all day with me as if you were my puppy.” Slit grumbles, but he looks a bit hopeful.

“I’m really sorry, really. And I’m sorry if now Toast is angry.” Nux apologizes again.

“She is. I bet she’s going to shred me, but it makes it a bit better knowing that she’s going to shred you too.” Slit says, almost smiling. And alright, that’s a bit worrying. Nux hopes he won’t see Toast until she’s more calmed, and she hopes Capable can calm her down.

“Why you didn’t tell me you were seeing Toast, though?” Nux asks, a bit hurt. They are best friends, they are supposed to tell each other that things. Even if last night were the first, Slit should have told him.

“I don’t know…didn’t feel like saying anything...” Slit shrugs. “Toast would have killed me if I did, also. And anyway, there’s not much to say, it’s not like we are dating or something.”

Oh. So not dating… Whatever makes them happy, Nux had thought, but still, it’s a bit disappointing.

Anyway, Slit doesn’t seem to be mad at him anymore, and that’s what Nux had wanted. He head-butts Slit’s shoulder gently, as they sometimes do to show affection. Like tiny cute baby goats, Capable had said once.

***

Although everybody is tense, and they worry about it, Joe’s boys don’t attack Rev Head more for now, or any of the other carts. None of them shows up. They don’t want to think of it as the end of their problems forever, just in case, but it helps them to relax a bit.

As Thursday approaches, nobody feels like going out after what happened the last Thursday.

Fortunately, Capable and Nux had been thinking about it, about what they could do to help their friends, and also themselves, to relax and have a good time, to try to forget about their problems. Late picnic in their lovely cove sounds just right.

They explain their plan to the others the Wednesday and everybody agrees.

Now they have to decide how to go. Besides the motorbikes, they have Café No´s and Rev Head´s vans, but if they squeeze a bit, they can all go in just one van.

Finally they go in Rev Head van, since Café No’s van hadn’t been driven out of the parking in years. Cheedo had permission from Furiosa to leave a bit earlier than usually. Not that they thought they would say no when she asked, but still, it was polite to ask and be grateful.

Nux and Slit had closed Rev Head earlier too, so they can go to the cove with all the evening to enjoy.

When they arrive, they still have a couple of hours of sunlight.

“What do you think, Dag?” Nux ask, when they jump out of the van. “Home of mermaids?”

Dag smiles while she takes their towels out of the van. “Totally.” She takes Cheedo’s hand, whose eyes are sparkling as she looks around, muttering something about the most beautiful place ever. “Let’s go find mermaids.” They walk towards the seashore.

“What if mermaids eat people? How do you know they don’t?” Slit asks, following them and carrying a basket with their drinks.

“They do eat people, but only men.” Dag replies. “So they are only going to eat you and Nux, there’s no problem.”

Toast, who is behind them carrying their basket with sandwiches and snacks, chuckles.

“Don’t worry, I protect you.” Capable says, giggling, and she wraps an arm around Nux’s waist, and he actually feels quite protected. Not that he thinks there are eating men mermaids, or mermaids at all, but still, it’s a pleasant feeling.

They are wearing their swimsuits under their clothes, and although the day is not especially warm and the water is probably frozen, they take off their clothes and walk into the water.

 They don’t usually go to their beach for a swim, it’s touristic and usually full of people bathing and playing in the water. But going to that quiet, lovely cove and not bathing when the sun is still in the sky seems a bit of a waste.

The water is indeed frozen, and they all yelp when the waves splash over their bellies, and soon they are all trying to splash water over each other, screaming in a mix of joy and pain. Soon they are all soaking wet.

Slit has mercifulness splashed water over poor Cheedo, who hasn’t mastered the art of sad puppy eyes as good as Nux, after she did the same to him. The combine efforts of Dag and Capable to avenge Cheedo have Slit soon cursing as frozen water splash over his chest, still exposed to the cold breeze.

Nux finds out that puppy eyes don’t work with Toast, who splashes water all over his face at the same time a wave splash freezing water over his back. He can’t help a very embarrassing yelp at that.

There’s some sort of rock formation not far from the seashore, seeming like a short tunnel, water going through it, which maybe was a cave long time ago, before the water erased most of it.

They decide to swim towards it, and once there, with the big rock hiding the sun, making the water dark and even colder, the idea of mermaids living there seems a bit more real.

They half walk, half swim through the tunnel, tiny fishes swimming around their legs. There are limpets on the rocks, doing their limpets things, whatever that is. An exited Cheedo points to a starfish.

The whole place looks magical, making their problems, Joe, the parking, and everything else seem to be far, far away. Nux is proud of having found this place.

The sun is already setting, and there a soft but cold breeze, so they decided it’s time to go back to their warm, soft towels. Capable swims slightly behind the others, though, and she grabs Nux’s wrist and stops him.

Nux can see her feet don’t quite reach the ground, or at least it seems they don’t, she’s shorter than him, so he places his hands on her waist to hold her up and help her. That seems to have been her plan all along, because she wraps her legs around his waist and presses her body against him, looking down at him with a smile before kissing him.

Nux holds her close, and when their lips part, he knows he’s looking at her with the same awed smile and heart eyes that the first time, but he can’t help it.

Her lips are salty, her red hair is wet, wrapping around her chest and back like algae, her eyes are as teal as the sea, and with the magical looking rock formation behind her, Nux can’t help but think she looks like one of those mermaids Dag talked about.

When he says that to Capable, she laughs softly.

“I am, I’m luring you away from the shore so I can have you for dinner.” She replies, leaning over to kiss him.

“I wouldn’t mind.” Nux replies, and she laughs again.

The others shout at them from the shore, telling them to stop being disgustingly cheesy and go there, if they don’t want them eating their dinner too. A couple of kisses more and they join them.

Even wrapped in their towels, they are still wet and the breeze is freezing. They all sit together in penguin formation while they eat their sandwiches.

Nux shoots glances to Slit and Toast, but they are just behaving like usual. Not that Nux expected them to be all cuddly, but they behave like if nothing had happened between them. A bit disappointing. At least they are not mad.

Shortly after finishing their dinner, Dag and Cheedo leave the group to look for seashells. Nux is not very sure of them finding any in the dark, but it’s happy to give them some time of intimacy.

While they are away, Toast lies down on her towel, looking at the stars, and when Slit lies down next to her, she speaks about what she knows of the stars they are seeing.

While listening to her, Nux combs Capable’s wet hair out of her face and tries to braid it. He can see she’s closed her eyes and is leaning on his touch, almost purring, and he feels proud.

Nux is feeling a bit chilly and he wraps his arms around her, holding her tight, to protect her from the breeze, and also to leach some of her warmth, her body feels so nice against him. He can’t help but let out a happy sound while burying his face in her hair.

When Dag and Cheedo come back, it seems they have actually managed to find some beautiful seashells in the dark, all them different kinds, and they show them proudly.

They sit down with them and they all snuggle together like penguins again. Now with their clothes and sweaters again, and all curled together, the night doesn’t seem too cold, and they all feel too cozy to move, just watching the sea and stars.

They know it’s getting late, and all them have to work in the morning, so eventually they lazily sit up and walk back to the van. They feel like just squeezing inside and sleeping there in its fluffy seats and then drive back to the parking in the morning, but Toast has to open very early in the morning.

Finally, Slit drives the van back to the town and to the girls’ place, allowing Nux to sit cuddled up with Capable, and Nux knows he owns him one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you are wondering, the cove is inspired by this one, I went to it this summer *heart eyes*: https://www.google.es/search?q=asturias+cuevas+del+mar&espv=2&biw=800&bih=466&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIhsj_xqy_yAIVBNoaCh2W5wel
> 
> Also, I wrote this chapter before I knew if people reading this liked Toast/Slit, so they don't have much cuddly action "in camera". But considering the people who usually comment here are supporting this ship, I might write them less subtle from now.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter of fluff without plot, I'm afraid.
> 
> Thanks to FancyLadySnackCakes, Fanaticdomainexpert, and Liisiko for their always lovely comments.  
> Also thanks to everyone leaving kudos.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, let me know your thoughts if you have time.
> 
> As always, apologizes if there are mistakes and for my mediocre English.
> 
> Your comments and kudos make my day!

A stinging pain in his throat wakes up Nux. It feels like a thousand of needles were stabbing the insides of his throat, ripping it every time he swallows, and he whimpers without opening his eyes.

Capable shifts next to him.

“Nux?” He feels her hand caressing his face, and he tries to open his eyes. She’s looking down at him, worried.

“I’m okay.” He replies, his voice hoarse. “My throat hurts a bit, though.” He starts coughing and it makes his throat feel ten times worse. He closes his eyes and whines again.

“You are sick!” Capable fusses over him, placing her hand on his forehead. “I think you don’t have a fever but I’m not sure.”

Nux shook his head, he’s sure he doesn’t have a fever, his head hurts only a little bit.

“It’s just my throat. Just a cold.” He says hoarsely.

“Stay here.” Capable is getting up and out of the room, and Nux doesn’t listen to her and follows her.

“Nux is sick!” Capable is saying in distress to Slit and Toast, who are having breakfast in the kitchen.

“Of course you are…yesterday you stayed in the water too long and then you sat down for dinner with your wet swimsuit and nothing more, and it wasn’t a warm night, and you know how easily you get sick. I shouldn’t have allowed you…” Slit is ranting while walking towards him, and Nux knows he’s scolding him like if he were a kid because he worries, but he feels he’s embarrassing him in front of Capable.

“I’m fine!” Nux whines, wishing he could yell, but his throat doesn’t allow it.

“I told you to stay in bed.” Capable turns around to scold him too and Nux throws his hands in the air in frustration. They are taking advantage of his inability to talk to scold him like if he were a little kid.

Capable leads him to the couch and throws a blanket over him, and honestly, he’s not that bad, it’s just a small cold, he doesn’t even have fever. He wishes everybody stopped fussing over him, it makes him feel useless. He can take care of himself.

Before leaving to work, Toast hands him a mug with hot milk and honey, which really helps to sooth his burning throat. Nux smiles grateful, at least Toast is not scolding him, as if he were his fault he gets sick easily. And anyway, he’s not ill, his throat is just a bit shore.

When Dag and Cheedo get out of the bedroom and fuss over him, Nux groans. But he doesn’t want to be rude, he knows they are worried because they care, but still…he hates to feel like an useless nuisance.

“Can you take care of Rev Head alone today, so Nux can stay in bed?” Capable asks to Slit, who nods.

“No!” Nux groans. “You’ll leave us without clients.”

Slit glares at him, but he also seems a bit hurt. Nux knows he has behaved like a prick, but he can’t help it, he hates to feel useless and he’s not going to miss work just because his throat hurts.

“I’m fine.” Nux says again, trying his best not to sound like a whining child and hating his hoarse voice. “I’m not really sick, I’m just aphonic, my throat is just a bit sore.” His throat is burning again after saying a couple of sentences, but he’s not going to tell them that. Instead, he does his best sad puppy eyes impression.

“Do as you want.” Slit says grumpily and turns around.

“You are so stubborn.” Capable lets out a sigh. “Alright. But it you get worse, I drag you back here.”

An hour later, they are all in the parking, Slit with instructions to let know Capable if Nux feels worse, and Nux with a fluffy scarf Capable has wrapped around his throat.

Furiosa and the Many Moother ladies seem to know about his cold, because they go to visit Nux and they bring him some special anti-colds hot tea and some handmade remedy for colds and sore throats that one of the women from Many Moothers has made. Nux feels very embarrassed, but also very grateful. They are caring about him like a real family would do.

Nux had thought he would be alright, he doesn’t even have to talk with the clients, just hand them the coffee, but after a couple of hours the needles inside his throat feel worse and worse. Every time he swallows, even if he tries to do it gently, his eyes wet with pain.

Slit is looking at him worriedly, and he gives Nux a hot coffee, half of it being made of caramel. It made him feel nauseous, and it burns his throat, but it also helps it a bit.

After couple of clients more, Nux feels like tearing his throat apart. He decides to take a rest between clients. He sits down in the driver seat, closes his eyes and tries not to swallow at all, unable to stop his soft whimpers.

When he opens his eyes, Capable is looking at him through the window, frowning. She gestures him to go out of the van. Reluctantly, Nux joins her.

“Angharad and Dag are taking my shift in Green Wood today, they say they don’t need me and Angharad gave me the day free. I’m taking you home.” She says, and Nux doesn’t dare to argue because right now he doesn’t think he could even say a word.

Toast appears next to Capable, and before Nux can do anything, she’s walking inside Rev Head.

“I don’t think there are more drunks wanting to come to bother me and drink my coffee, and it’s past Café No’s closing hour anyway, so I’m going to help Slit here.” Toast says.

Toast and Slit making coffee in the same cart. That can’t end well. For dozens of different reasons.

Nux tries to say something, but he’s only able to let out a pathetic whimper.

“Don’t worry, I have a café, I can handle this.” Toast shushes him. “I leave Mr. Creativity here with his fancy weird coffees and I’ll take care of the counter.”

Slit chuckles, and when Nux looks at him he’s almost smiling, so maybe they are not going to fight then.

Not matter if they are going to, though, because Capable is already dragging him out of the parking.

They go to her place because it’s closer, and honestly, it’s also cozier.

Once there, Capable carefully tucks him inside her bed, and Nux doesn’t think he needs so many blankets, he’s not even cold, but he doesn’t say anything. Partially because he can’t, partially because Capable looks very worried, so if that helps her feel better, he’s not going to complain. Also, he doesn’t want to be scolded again.

And a small part of him thinks that being taken care of like that feels very, very nice.

Capable kisses his forehead and leaves the room, and Nux is grateful she didn’t tell him off with ‘I told you so’, he’d have hated it.

When Capable comes back into the room, she’s carrying a steaming bowl and a mug. She places it in the nightstand and gets inside the bed, sitting up against the headboard. She tugs at Nux until he sits up too, resting against her chest, her arms around him, and that feels way better than being under the blankets.

“Hot soup.” Capable says, handing him the bowl. “Drink it before it gets cold.”

Nux takes a careful sip. It burns his lips but it makes his throat feel better.

“Careful, don’t burn yourself.” Capable says softly, caressing his head. Nux closes his eyes, forgetting about the soup for a moment.

“Have you eaten?” Nux asks, opening his eyes, suddenly worried. He doesn’t want Capable to neglect herself because of him.

“Yes, Angharad gave me some pizza, I ate it while waiting for the soup to be warm enough.” Capable replies. “Don’t worry and drink it.”

When Nux finishes the soup, Capable hands him the mug, it’s milk with honey.

“Toast told me to keep making you drink hot milk and hot teas, and that’s what I’m going to do.” Capable informs him, and Nux is not going to complain, it actually sooths his throat ache.

A spoon of the Many Moothers remedy after it, and Capable nudges him to lie down again. He nestles on her lap, way cozier than the pillow. He feels guilty for making Capable stay there with him, but her warm lap and her soft hands gently caressing his head feel too nice. Without meaning to, Nux falls asleep.

His own whimpers wake him up, or more probably the stinging pain in his throat, which has come back. Capable seems to have fallen asleep too, and now she’s shifting under him.

“Are you feeling worse?” She asks, and Nux shakes his head. He’s not lying, not really. He’s not worse, now his head doesn’t hurt at all, although his throat keeps burning.

“You should go to the doctor…” Capable says, and Nux shakes his head again and turns around until she’s facing her, his head still on her lap.

“Just a sore throat.”  He says again, smiling to Capable. She still looks a bit sleepy, and there’re more strands of hair out of her braids than in them. She looks so beautiful.

“Alright.” She concedes, smiling back. She gently brushes his fingers over his face, caressing him, and Nux purrs. He tries to keep his eyes open so he can look at Capable, but they keep trying to close under her gentle ministrations.

Nux doesn’t know how much time passes, but he opens his eyes when he hears Dag and Cheedo voices in the flat. There’s a knock on the bedroom’s door and the two girls walk inside, looking worriedly at Nux and bringing him hot tea.

 “I’m fine.” Nux assures them when they ask, although he sounds hoarser that he had wanted.

Nux sits up against Capable’s chest, and squeezing a bit, Dag and Cheedo sit down next to them in the bed. They told them about everything that has happened in the parking since they left, nothing worrying. Rev Head seemed to have gone well, so Nux tries not to worry much.

For dinner, Capable eats with him on the bed. Nux had wanted to get up, tired of being there all day, but the perspective of snuggle with Capable is too good to complain.

She gives him soup again, and also some veggie croquettes that Dag had made them. Once they finish, Capable made him swallow another spoon of the Many Moothers remedy before walk out of the room, coming back with a mug of hot milk and honey.

While Nux sips at the milk, Capable picks up a book and sits down next to him. Nux thinks she’s tired and bored of been all day there with him, so he decides not to bother her and let her read. He’s snuggling on her lap when Capable starts reading aloud, and Nux smiles. Capable always thinks of him.

When it’s time to sleep, Nux realizes Slit hasn’t called him or text him when he closed Rev Head, and he hopes everything is alright. Toast doesn’t seem to have gone home either, so Nux doesn’t worry much.

Capable doesn’t allow him to lie down to sleep until he has swallowed even another spoon of the remedy, but one he does, she turns off the light and lies down next to him, pulling him into her arms. She places soft kisses all over Nux’s face, and he lets out embarrassing happy sounds, to which Capable laughs.

***

Nux wakes up to the fuss of Capable getting ready for work. He looks at her silently for a bit, pretending to be asleep, but he knows he should be getting ready too.

“What are you doing?” Capable asks when she saws Nux getting out of the bed.

“Going work?” Nux asks more than assures, hoping she won’t start scolding him. She does.

“No, you saw what happened to you yesterday, you are staying today.” Capable replies, already trying to push him back to the bed.

“No, I’m better.” Nux whines and it’s true. His throat keeps hurting, but there are no needles anymore, just a bit of pain, and he doesn’t cough whenever he says three words, even if hoarse.

It takes them a bit of bickering but they finally make a deal. Nux will stay in Rev Head until Toast can go there to help Slit, and then he’ll go home. Nux wants to disagree, Toast has more important things to do than work all day and not in her cart just because he has a sore throat. But Capable and Toast herself (whom Capable calls to ask her opinion) are adamant about it.

Another big hot milk and honey mug, another spoon of the remedy, a bit too long hot shower, and they are on their way to the parking, arriving only a bit late.

Angharad is opening Green Wood and Slit is already making coffees in Rev Head, so after a quick kiss, Nux and Capable go to their carts.

Nux is feeling way better than yesterday, but when Toasts appears and goes inside the van, Nux doesn’t bother to argue.

Nux is expecting Capable to go with him to her place, but it’s Dag who is standing in front of him.

“I tried to take Capable’s shift, but she says it was unfair for me, having to work in my free day.” Dag explains. “So I’m afraid it’s me who is going to babysit you today, not Capable, sorry.”

“Just leave him in our flat and I’ll go there as soon as I close.” Slit says from inside Rev Head van.

Nux is feeling increasingly annoyed by them talking about him like if he were a puppy or a little kid, besides he’s perfectly able to work today, and even more able to go home by himself. He’s about to say something when he sees Capable looking at him worriedly from Green Wood, so he gives up. Just for today.

Once in his flat, Dag doesn’t tuck him inside the bed, like Capable had done yesterday, which is a relief. She allows him to sit down on the sofa without blankets, as long as he keeps wearing the scarf, although she makes him take a spoonful of the Many Moothers’ remedy. Nux can’t wait to see the bottle empty.

After it, Dag makes some special hot tea that she had prepared herself, which is supposed to help with colds too, and sits down next to Nux. They end up watching some documentaries about aliens, and after them anybody would be actually sure that all their neighbors come from outer space.

They are still on it when Slit, Capable, Toast and Cheedo arrive. They blink at the TV but say nothing.

“Are you better?” Capable asks, sitting down next to Nux, and he nods grinning.

Saturdays are usually the day they go out, but it seems Capable is not up to it today.  Nux can’t really complain, his throat is still hurting.

The others set around the table, and Toast pulls out a tupper with pulled pork and another with seitan and mushrooms that Furiosa has given them for dinner. Also, Toast has brought Catan.

It’s not a date with Capable alone, but it’s still nice, being all together. It seems Slit and him finally have a family, and he feels very loved.

When it’s time for the girls to go back home, after Toast beats them at Catan, Slit offers to walk them home, so they don’t have to go out alone that late. They assure him they’ll be alright, they are three after all, but Slit goes anyway.

Capable is staying with Nux this night, and once everybody walks out the door, Nux pulls her close, almost making her sit on his lap, and nuzzles her neck.

“It would seem you haven’t been alone with me in a year.” Capable laughs.

“Felt like it.” Nux teases.

They are still making out on the couch when Slit walks into the flat and makes an exasperate sound.

“You could have gone to your room.” He complains.

“We were about too.” Nux teases, and Capable blushes red and giggles.

Finally, they don’t go to the room. Instead, they stay awake a bit more, enough for Slit and Nux to show the two first episodes of The Walking Dead to Capable. She doesn’t seem too into it, but neither seems disgusted, so Nux and Slit suppose it’s alright.

Next morning, Nux wakes up feeling better. His throat aches, but is not burning, and he’s able to talk normally, if only a bit hoarse. Thanks to it and his puppy eyes, Capable finally allows him to go work normally. Finally.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The parking doesn't seem so paceful anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I didn't update this in so long.  
> There are moments in my life in which I shut down, and I've been like that lately.
> 
> I also seemed (I still am) unable to write anything at all, it's not only that I don't have any ideas to write, but also that I literally can't write a whole sentence.  
> As you'll see, I'm pretty sure this chapter is horribly bad, full of mistakes and nonsense, my english even more mediocre than ever, and I'm not sure you'll be able to understand all my sentences. I'm worse at wording than Max.
> 
> Anyway, I keep trying. I don't want to abandon this.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who reads this and leaves kudos.  
> Million thanks to FancyLadySnackCakes, RedFoxarrows, and Liisiko for your comments, I feel I always have your support and that makes me feel so good, like I want to keep going with this.
> 
> I promise I'll try, maybe I won't update weekly anymore, but I'll try.  
> I want to drive this story to an end, instead of just abandon it.
> 
> By the way, while I tried to keep myself motivated and do something instead of beinf numb al day, I tried to draw some nuxable fanart (No, I can't draw).  
> If you want, you can see one of my sketches here: http://moraglefay.tumblr.com/post/133204924690/guess-who-i-tried-to-sketch-todayif-only-i-were  
> I have another, but I haven't posted it yet.
> 
> Anyway, finally there's a new chapter. Sorry it's mediocre.

On Wednesday, the calm the parking had been enjoying disappears.

Nux doesn’t know how it started, just that suddenly he’s hearing shouting coming from Green Wood.

When he looks outside the van, he sees Green Wood clients had ran away and there are some boys, Joe’s boys unmistakable, kicking down its flower pots and tables, and yelling to the girls.

He’s there in less than two seconds, Slit with him.

Nux punches one of them without even think about it, pushing him hard and making him move away from the van, while Slit grabs another by the neck and slams him against the van.

Angharad has got out of the van, looking scariest and bigger than Nux has ever seen her, and is struggling with another boy, her nails clawing to his face while he tugs at her hair. Dag has rushed to help her, looking totally like a feral cat, white hair flying while she hisses all kind of profanities. She grabs the boy’s arm, dragging him away from Angharad, and biting his arm until she draws blood.

The boy grunts and turns towards Dag, pushing the girl away from him, which gives Angharad and Capable time to kick his knees, making the boy fall down, and the girls rush over him, trying to immobilize him against the floor.

Nux has got distracted checking on the girls, and the boy he had pushed has come for him, throwing a punch to his face that makes Nux lose his balance for a moment, long enough for the boy to kick at his ribs, knocking the air out of him.

Another boy is walking towards Nux from behind  and Capable rushes to stop that one, gripping his arm and trying to drag him away from Nux . She seems pretty successful until the boy manages to hit her face .

Nux can feel his blood boiling, blind of anger, and he head-butts the boy he’s struggling with, hoping to break his nose, sending him to the floor before rushing to help Capable.

Before he can reach her, though, suddenly Max is there .  He grabs the boy by the neck and shoves him to the floor.

The boy’s head has barely knocked the floor when Max gets up again, dragging the boy up with him and holding him roughly in place.

Free of the boy, Capable goes to help Angharad and Dag, keeping a struggling boy on the floor. The one who has been pummeled by Slit seems pretty beat up, and Nux rushes to stop a boy who is trying to get up. Nux kicks him onto the floor again, and the boys stare at Max.

“I suggest you leave now.” Max says, sounding so calmed that is scary.

The boys get up, looking at them warily, but they rush to leave.

Nux ignores his aching ribs and rushes to help Capable to get up from where she’s still kneeling on the floor.

“Are you alright?” He asks anxiouslt, brushing a gentle finger over her split lip, from when the boy hit her.

“I’m okay.” She replies, taking his shaking hand on hers.

“We are closing and going to Furiosa’s place.” Max says, and nobody argues.

They go in M.A.D’s van, the Many Moothers’ van following them.

Furiosa lives by the seaside, in an old house that has seen better days and which apparently belonged to her mother

They arrive almost at the same time than Toast.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” She says to Angharad.

“It’s okay, you couldn’t know it.” The girl replies, wrapping an arm around Toast’s waist. “I’m kind of glad you weren’t, though.”

They all sit down in Furiosa’s living room while she listens to Max. He tells her what happened, in a mix of grunts and sentences that miss half of the words. But Furiosa seems to understand him without problem.

Cheedo’s eyes are wet as she looks anxiously over Dag’s injuries, although she seems to be more or less alright, except from some skinned knees, and arms bruised and scratched from when she tried to hold down a boy.

But Nux can understand the feeling, he would fuss all over Capable too if he weren’t afraid of overwhelm her. At least she doesn’t seem too hurt, only a split lip, a faint bruise in her cheek, but Nux won’t be happy until he can make sure she doesn’t have any more injuries.

Angharad seems to be alright, although her scalp is bruising slightly where the boy tugged at her hair, and she has similar scratches to Dag’s.

Slit’s eyebrow, which had already been split, is open and bleeding again, and Toast is checking his shoulder and neck, bruised from when the boy tried to push Slit away from him. His knuckles are bleeding, but Nux can’t see any other injury, so it could have been worse.

Nux can feel his ribs are bruised, they hurt when he moves, but he is ignoring it. Capable caresses his jaw and cheekbone, and it hurts a bit, so he knows he’s bruising there too.

“They went today because they knew I was closed.” Furiosa says when they are more calmed, and Max nods, humming. “Fortunately Max was there.”

“We helped too.” Slit says, almost pouting. “And the girls were doing pretty well by themselves.”

Nux thinks Furiosa would say something snarky, but she actually smiles.

“I know, and I’m grateful. But I’m glad if I’m not there at least Max is.” She says. Max only shrugs and hums something.

Nux knows Furiosa sees them somehow as her kids, as if she were responsible of them and their wellbeing, and he feels very grateful and loved. He guesses somehow it makes Max responsible of them too. Maybe if Nux had met them before Joe, if Slit and him had had them as foster parents instead of what Joe gave them, maybe things had been different for them…but there’s no use thinking about that now.

“I’m sorry.” Nux says, talking for the first time since they arrived. “It was our fault, Slit’s and mine.”

He knows it’s true. They put everybody in danger, they had been working for Joe and left him, now he was looking for revenge. And then they had made it all worse by going to his parking again. It was their fault, Joe was hurting their friends.

Nux feels horrible, and he sees Slit looking down in shame too.

“No, Joe has been like that always.” Furiosa replies, and Capable squeezes Nux’s shoulder reassuringly.

“He has always given us trouble.” Furiosa continues. “He’s jealous of our business, because we have more clients than him. He has already sent his boys against us sometimes before, but we always manage to throw them away.”

Nux feels even worse. He remembers Joe sometimes sent boys outside the parking in ‘special missions’ against his enemies, though he never picked Nux. Nux hadn’t realized what those missions were until now.

“If you go to the police, the boys will say they don’t know Joe, and they won’t be able to find any connection.” Slit says, as if he knows what he’s talking about.

“We know, and we have already reported Joe to the police several times.” Furiosa replies. “Once we manage to have his cart closed for several months, but one day he was back to business.”

Nux remembers those months, when he was almost a kid, how they were told Joe’s has been closed unfairly and how happy they were when they could open again.

“Ace told us a few weeks ago that Green Wood was in Joe’s radar, because of how successful it is.” Furiosa says, and Nux remembers the day he saw Ace-Cream parked near Many Moothers.

“If they come back, I’ll throw boiling oil over them.” Angharad snarls, and Max chuckles.

Furiosa leaves the room and comes back with a first aid kit.

“Lets get you all cleaned.” She says, and they fuss over the kit.

Cheedo is carefully cleaning Dag’s scratches, and Nux tries to clean the cut of Capable’s lip, but her hands are already on him, cleaning blood off his nose. Nux hadn’t even realized it had bleed, probably from when the boy punched him.

 “It’s okay, it’s not broken.” He assures her, not wanting her to worry, but Capable shushes him and kisses the tip of his nose once he’s cleaned

When Nux tries cleaning Capable’s cut, he’s so afraid of hurting her even more that he barely presses the gauze against her lip, although he hopes it’s enough to disinfect it. Gingerly, he cleans the blood away.

Nux takes off Capable’s jacket, knowing that under it she’s only wearing a tank top, so he can search for more injuries. One of her arms is covered with bruises, and Nux brushes gentle fingers over them, wishing he had kept kicking the boy until he stopped moving. But he knows Capable would hate those thoughts, that part of himself, so he tries to erase it from his mind.

“I’m sure you have bruises too.” Capable says softly, taking his hand away from her arm and squeezing it gently.

He is sure too, but he doesn’t feel like taking off his shirt and showing her, doesn’t want her to worry.

“My ribs ache a bit.” He replies instead.

“I’m not sure this doesn’t need stitches…” Toast is saying while she touches Slit’s wounded eyebrow, making him wince. But Slit shrugs it off. He has had worse.

Nobody is severely hurt, and that’s a relief, but everybody is upset.

All of them decide to stay in Furiosa’s for the night, like a big sleepover. Together, as family.

Many Moothers cook the dinner, and while they are on it, Max gives Cheedo a pendant he has done for her. It’s from one of the shells she picked up at the cove, Max has made a tiny hole and put a cordon through it, and it looks really beautiful.

Cheedo is totally blissed out about it, both because the pendant is really pretty but also because, as she says, it’s like having a memory of a great day always with her.

It helps to improve the mood a bit. Max might be strange and not very talkative, but it’s clear he loves the girls almost as much as Furiosa does.

After dinner, they watch shows until it’s late, and it’s nice, being all together after such a horrible day.

The Many Moother’s ladies settle down for the night in Cheedo’s and a spare bedroom, while the others make a nest of blankets and pillows in the living room. Nux feels a bit silly, like if they were kids, but at the same time it feels really nice and cozy.

Capable curls up next to him, and when she pulls him into her arms, pressing his ribs, Nux can’t help but wince, even if he tries to hide it. Capable let’s go of him, looking worried. Nux wraps his arm around her before she can try to check his ribs, trying to find a way to cuddle with her without his ribs aching.

Nux brushes his lips against hers gingerly, not wanting to hurt her injured lip more, but Capable kisses him back fully. If the cut on her lips aches, she’s ignoring it just like Nux is ignoring his ribs.

It takes Nux a long time to fall asleep, too lost in his thoughts and worries, and when he does, it is a restless sleep. He feels half awake, head hurting.

He wakes up after not even an hour of real sleep, and he decides to get up and walk for a bit, hoping to ease his mind. He let’s go of Capable and get up quietly, hoping not to wake her up.

When he is about to open the door, he hears Toast’s and Slit’s voices murmuring outside. They seem to be discussing something and Nux freezes in place. He doesn’t want to be nosy, but he tries to hear what they are saying anyway, couldn’t help himself.

Apparently, Slit is worried about Toast because she opens Café No very early, when the other carts are closed, and she’s alone in the parking. If something happened to her, if Joe’s boys decided to go, none would know, there’d be nobody to help her.

Toast, for her side, seems upset about it. She’s interrupting Slit all time, saying angrily that she can take care of herself and she’s not going to change her timetable because of Joe and his boys, or because of anybody.

No matter how grumpy she sounds, Nux is with Slit in that. Joe’s boy must have trashed Rev Head’s van at some point between Max closing his cart and Toast opening hers. What if she had run into them? Nux doesn’t want to think about it. Slit is right, she shouldn’t go so early and alone. Right now, it’s not safe for any of them to be alone in the parking.

They keep murmuring and bickering, and Nux feels he’s being too intrusive. He opens the door and steps out of the room, and Toast and Slit stop talking to frown at him. He just nods at them and rushes through the corridor, leaving them alone.

He goes towards the terrace, wanting some fresh air, but as he walks closer he sees Furiosa and Max are there. Alright, no, this wasn’t going to be the day in which he runs into everybody again. Nux is turning to leave when he realizes Furiosa has already seen him and is gesturing him to join them. Hesitantly, Nux steps outside.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Furiosa asks, and Nux shakes his head.

“Stop feeling guilty, I told you it’s not your fault.” Furiosa assures him.

“It kind of is…” Nux murmurs, looking down.

“Not as much as you think. I didn’t work for Joe, but I worked in his parking, you must have been a little kid back then.” Furiosa says, and Nux can’t help but look at her with eyes wide of surprise. He wasn’t expecting that. It must have been even before Joe took Slit and him in, Nux doesn’t remember Furiosa.

“It didn’t take me long to see what a horrible man Joe was, but you know how difficult is to leave his parking for the people who work there.” Furiosa says. “But finally I managed, with the help of the Many Moothers. They had been friends of my mother, and they helped me to leave Joe and to start working in the same parking they were. I started working there almost at the same time than Max. ”

Max hums and nods, but he doesn’t seem very talkative.

“Since then, Joe has been trying to harass me, just like he does to Slit and you. And he tries to harass the whole parking because he can’t bare we are more successful than him. So it’s not your fault.” Furiosa finishes.

Nux nods, even though he still feels guilty, even though he still feels it’s mostly his and Slit’s fault.

“Get some rest.” Furiosa commands, and Nux leaves her and Max alone. He comes back to the living room, thinking about what Furiosa has told him. He wonders if the girls know Furiosa worked in Joe’s park.

The living room is dark, but Nux can see Slit lying down next to Toast, his arm wrapped loosely around her. It’s the first time Nux sees them doing something close to cuddling, and he smiles despite himself.

Nux cuddles next to Capable, resting his head on her chest, and tries to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to RedFoxarrows, Supergirl, Katie and Liisiko, your comments really make me feel better and mean the world.
> 
> I'm still struggling to write and I have no idea where to take this fic from now, I'm totally lost, no plot ideas showing up in my mind...it's so sad and I feel so useless.
> 
> I just feel every chapter is worse written and worse in general than the previous, and there's no plot anymore and I don't know... I don't know how to improve.
> 
> Anyway, I keep trying to write this.
> 
> This chapter is still dark as the previous, with Angharad's backstory about self harm and other bad things, warning just in case.
> 
> Apologizes for my mediocre English..

Next morning, they all try to make Toast go to work later, so they can go with her. They don’t want her going alone to the parking, early enough that the sun is barely out, after yesterday.

She doesn’t want to, but Furiosa manages to convince her, just for this day. Toast still looks grumpy about it, though.

Angharad is not opening Green Place, it’s Thursday after all, so she and Dag have decided to stay at Furiosa’s for a bit longer. Nux thinks it could actually be good for them, being out of the parking and trying to forget what happened yesterday, and when he says so to Capable, she agrees. The Many Moothers and Miss Giddy stay with them, and Furiosa tells Cheedo to stay home too. Capable, though, goes to the parking with them, and Nux isn’t sure if he’s worried about it, or happy she’ll be around.

Once there, Toast goes to open Café No, complaining about how late it is, and Capable goes to help Furiosa in War Pig.

Before opening Rev Head, Nux goes with Slit and Max to see if Joe’s boys damaged Green Wood’s van in some way that might need to be repaired. They don’t want Angharad having to deal with it. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it. It seems they scared them for good, at least for now.

When Toast closes Café No, she goes to Rev Head. Slit and Nux don’t really need help, but of course she’s more than welcome there. She stays with them the couple of free hours she has before having to go to her classes, making snarky remarks about Slit’s fancy coffees, but drinking one appreciatively when Slit hands it to her.

The day goes on without any problem, no Joe’s boys, nothing. It seems it’s alright for now, but Nux doesn’t manage to really relax about it, and it’s sure none of the others does. They are sure Joe is planning something, but they don’t know what or when he might decide to attack them again.

When both War Pig and Rev Head close, all they go to Furiosa’s home again.

Max assures them he’ll be fine alone there, and they have no problems believing him. However, he seems to close earlier than usual, because he knocks at Furiosa’s door when they are still cooking dinner.

They have dinner all together, watching a movie afterwards, and they decide to stay there for the night again. Cushions or not, Furiosa’s living room is not the most comfortable place ever, but the company is nice. Or at least, Nux feels it’s nice, and considering all them have wanted to stay there too, probably the others feel the same. It feels comforting, and it feels a bit like being a kid again.

Everybody settles down for the night in their borrowed rooms or in the living-room,  curling up together like puppies, and no matter if they are there because they needed comfort after Green Wood being harrassed by Joe, it’s nice and Nux can’t help but feel happy, snuggling with Capable, hearing the others chatting in murmurs around them.

Next morning, when the sun can’t be seen through the window yet, Toast and Slit’s murmurs wake up Nux. They seem to be arguing about Toast going alone to the parking again. Toast lets out an exasperate sigh and leaves the room, Slit following her.

Nux gets up, trying not to wake up Capable. He doesn’t feel like falling asleep again, and he wants to help Slit, he worries about Toast too. He finds them in the kitchen, where Furiosa seems to have joined their conversation. Max is there too, although not surprisingly he seems to be only observing without talking.

“I can take care of myself.” Toast is groaning. “Besides, nobody attacked us yesterday, I’m going to be fine.”

“Doesn’t mean Joe won’t try anything again.” Furiosa replies, and Slit nods.

“I’m not going to let him scare me off my own workplace. Not again.” Toast said defiantly. Furiosa doesn’t reply but her gaze softens a bit. “I understand you are worried, but I’m going to be okay.” Toast sounds a bit less grumpy now.

“If you are going to insist and be this stubborn, then I’m going with you.” Slit grumbles. “I don’t mind going to Rev Head earlier and working on some new coffees.”

“Alright. Whatever” Toast concedes, rolling her eyes.

“I can go too.” Nux says from the kitchen door. It seems only Max had noticed his presence.

“I don’t need you two escorting me.” Toast huffs before leaving the kitchen.

Slit seems about to follow her, but they hear the bathroom door slamming close so he turns back to the kitchen again. Nux and him sat down on the kitchen table, and Max gives them some juice and chocolate biscuits, in addition to a sympathetic look, for breakfast.

The others join them in the kitchen as they wake up, a big queue forming for the shower.

A couple of hours later,  when it’s almost time to open Rev Head and after he manages to have a shift in the bathroom, Nux goes to the parking, and Capables goes with him.

Slit is in Café No, but when he sees Nux, he goes with him to open Rev Head, yawing.  Capable alternates between Rev Head and Café No until Angharad and Dag arrive to open Green Wood, followed by Furiosa and Cheedo opening War Pig.

There’s no denying everyone is tense, waiting for something awful to happen, but again, just like yesterday, by closing time nothing has happened. No Joe’s boys, nothing. They’d want to think they scared them off for good, but they know it’s not so easy.

Nevertheless, they decide is time to go back to their respective homes and stop crowding Furiosa’s. More or less, because Angharad is going to stay with the girls, and they convince Slit and Nux to go and watch movies later.

So for Nux, it means leaving Furiosa’s place for the girl’s place, he hasn’t been at his own flat for days, but he couldn’t care less. Wherever Capable and their friends are, there’s where he wants to be, and where he’s happy.

Capable, though, seems to have a different opinion and when Green Wood closes, she tells Nux that she wants some time alone only with him. And Nux is not going to complain, not at all, he nods, grinning to her, nodding as if it were the best plan in the world because right now it is. Finally having Capable only for himself after the last couple of erratic days sound shiner than anything.

They go have dinner alone, same place they always go when they feel like doing something outside the promenade, telling the others they’ll join them after dinner.

While they are having dinner, Nux remembers to tell Capable what Furiosa told him about working in Joe’s parking long time ago, curious to know if she knew.

“I didn’t know details but I knew that’s the reason Joe gave her problems sometimes.” Capable nods. “So when I saw the same happened to you, I assumed Slit and you had had Rev Head in Joe’s parking before. I didn’t think you have worked for him like…well…”

They both look down, awkwardly. Nux knows she’s still having problems accepting what he used to do, and who could blame her. If only he knew how to assure her he regrets it, to let her know he’s not like that anymore and he won’t be, to show her how grateful he is she’s still with him, giving him a chance to be better. But Nux doesn’t know how to put that in words, so he says nothing.

“We’ll figure out a way to stop Joe.” Capable says after a moment of silence, reaching out to squeeze Nux’s hand over the table, smiling to him.

“Sure…” Nux murmurs, not sounding as sure as he’d like, but he squeezes Capable’s hand back and smiles to her, because he thinks that maybe Capable already know all the things he wants to tell her but doesn’t know how.

 And maybe Joe is unstoppable, but if he’s with Capable then Nux can deal with it.

They took a bit longer to walk back to the girl’s place, walking through the promenade. When they arrive, they are waiting for them to watch a movie and they all curl up together in the two sofas. There’s not much room, but it’s cozy.

Later, Nux feels even cozier, when he gets to be cuddled only with Capable, while they lie on her bed.

“I was thinking about what Furiosa said.” Nux murmurs, running his fingers through Capable’s hair.

“Stop thinking about that and try to sleep.” Capable says sleepily, head tucked under his chin

“I just can’t remember her, so that must have been more than ten years ago…that’s a lot of time…” Nux says, trying to remember seeing Furiosa’s cart. “Or my memory is shit.”

“Could be that.” Capable’s chuckle. “Or maybe it was before Joe fostered you.”

“Must be that.” Nux concedes. He’s sure he’d remember Furiosa. “I guess that’s why Furiosa and the Many Moothers know Ace.”

Capable only hums, clearly wanting to sleep.

“Did Angharad work with Furiosa back in Joe’s park?” Nux asks, an idea popping out in his mind.

“Nux, she’s not much older than us, I guess she wasn’t even a teen when Furiosa changed parkings and she didn’t start working with her until later.” Capable gives him a weird look and Nux blushes embarrassed, feeling dumb.

“Yeah, sure, sorry…I wasn’t really thinking…” Nux mumbles. “I just…I though…it was stupid…”

“Tell me.” Capable says, looking up from his chest, and Nux has to resist the urge to hide under the sheets.

“It’s just…her scars…I thought…” He doesn’t know how to explain the horrible thought that had suddenly appeared in his mind, and that now seems stupid. “I mean…considering how vindictive Joe is…I thought… maybe his boys attacked Angharad back then…like they attacked her in Green Wood the other day but worse, in revenge for Furiosa leaving, and they hate them so much … It was a silly idea, sorry…”

Capable lets out a long sigh, but caresses his cheek softly.

“It didn’t happen like that.” She says quietly, and Nux remembers the first time she kissed him. She had told him Angharad had done her scars too.

“I know, I’m sorry…I don’t know why I thought that…” Maybe he’s getting too paranoid about Joe. If only he stopped messing with them. “Besides, I’m sure if he had touched any of you, Furiosa’d have set fire to his truck with him inside.”

Capable laughs at that, and nods her agreement.

“But…Toast, Dag, Cheedo and you…it seems that something horrible happened to all you before meeting Furiosa” Nux hopes he won’t upset Capable saying that. He feels like sewing his mouth shut to stop babbling, but he can’t stop. “I thought… it was the same for Angharad, wasn’t it?”

“It was…” Capable confirms, rolling to lie on her back. Nux wraps a tentative arm around her.

“I don’t think she minds me telling you, you are family.” Capable says after a moment of just staring at Nux silently. Her words make Nux feel all warm inside, something fluttering inside his stomach and squeezing his heart. He holds Capable tighter and sine she lets him do it, Nux pulls her closer to him for good measure.

“Angharad got pregnant when she was about nineteen, and she never told anybody who the father was.” Capable starts to explain and Nux can’t help but blink surprised. He would have never, ever, guessed that Angharad had a kid, and that she had it young and single.

“None knows how it happened. I was fifteen, and it really affected me. Especially because her family didn’t take it well, to say it softly, and she left our hometown to live far from them. I was very upset about it, and I never forgave her family.”

“But something happened in her third trimester, I don’t know what. But the baby died.” Capable says quietly after a moment of silence, and Nux feels like someone has punched his stomach. No wonder he has never seen Angharad with a kid.

Angharad, who is always kind and friendly, always smiling to everyone. Who can look so strong and yet so soft hearted at the same time.

He doesn’t know how to react, what to say, and he just squeezes Capabale a bit tighter, unable to stops himself. She snuggles on his arms. He wishes there would be something he could do for Angharad, even if he knows there isn’t. Just being there for her, help her anyhow.

“Anyway…things went pretty bad since then…she was badly depressed, she hasn’t given me details…” Capable is talking softly, almost in murmurs, face almost hidden on his chest. “She started hurting herself until she left those scars…all horrible stuff…”

Nux kisses the top of her head and held her close, feeling very upset, wanting to do something more, to comfort her, but not knowing how.

“Somehow, she met some of the Many Moothers, I’m not sure how. And Furiosa through them. They helped her to get out of it, slowly. Eventually she moved with Furiosa, started working with her…then Toast arrived too, then Dag. They moved together, and well, eventually I arrived too, and Cheedo…and somehow Furiosa saved us all.” Capable is smiling sadly now.

“I’m so, so happy she did.” Nux replies, honest.

“Me too.” Capable says before kiss his lips.

“Angharad is better now, way better. Says she want to start again, want to build a life for herself again. With us, although she left our flat, saying she can’t be in the safety of the nest forever…” Capable pouts. “I don’t understand it, but if that’s what she wants, I’m not going to complain.”

Nux shrugs. Neither does he understand it, but if it works for Angharad, then it’s good.

“We all have each other, and that’s good.” Capable says, out of the blue. She turns around, tugging at Nux arms, and he wraps them around her, holding her close and pressing himself against the warmth of her back. Hopes it comforts her, somehow, since he doesn’t know what to do.

Hwstill doesn’t know what to say, and when Capable closes her eye, he places a soft kiss at her nape, hoping it’d communicate a bit of what he can’t manage to put in words.

Next morning, Nux is woke up by Slit tell him he’s going with Toast to the parking again, and he’ll see him later in Rev Head. It seems Slit has managed to convince Toast to let him go with her early in the mornings, instead of her going alone when there’s nobody else in the parking.

Nux feels a bit sorry for Slit, who seems very sleepy, but he’s glad he’s going with Toast. If something happens to her while she’s alone, they wouldn’t know it until it’s too late. And he’s sure Slit and Toast don’t mind spending time alone.

“Thank you.” Capable says sleepily before closing her eyes again, not fully awake, snuggling with Nux. He feels a bit guilty not going with them and sleeping a couple of hours more while Slit has woken up so soon, but not guilty enough to move outside Capable’s cozy arms.

By the end of the week, when nobody from Joe’s park has gone to bother them, they start to think, to hope, that maybe Green Wood accident was an isolated event and things are more or less going to be calmer now, or at least to be how they were before the accident.

Monday morning, Nux wakes up to his mobile buzzing, Slit’s calling. Nux wakes up everybody, calling Furiosa and Max too, explaining what Slit and Toast had told him. All they meet in the parking.

There are two new cars parked there, both with Joe’s logo.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Kattie, RedFoxarrows, Supergirl, Liisiko and Elwethe for their lovely comments, and I'm sorry this story is just having less and less quality.

 

The carts are closed, but there’s no doubt they are Joe’s, his mark is unmistakable.

Cheedo suggests that maybe they are people who used to work for Joe and now they want to move there, but no. Only Joe’s and his relatives’ carts have his mark.

“What are they doing here, then?” Angharad asks, glaring at the carts.

“I guess he wants to expand the business…” Furiosa murmurs thoughtfully.

Nux doesn’t like this, doesn’t like it at all.

A couple of hours later the carts open. Nux and Slit recognize the names, they are Joe’s relatives. It seems Furiosa knew them too.

Flamer, it sells something called DonnerKebab Fusion, which honestly doesn’t taste like donner or like kebab, or even like fusion. Just a bunch of meat put together with strange sauces. But it’s oh so cheap, Nux remembers eating it a few times with Slit, back when they worked for Joe.

Piecemaker, it sells various kinds of meat pie, and honestly, it doesn’t look bad. Nux had tried them a few times during the years he worked in Joe’s park, and it didn’t taste bad, it was alright. But he doesn’t like the owner, it always struck him as someone a bit insane and dangerous, he was very violent and Nux had tried to stay away.

At first, the people who go to the parking seem to be interested by the novelty, trying the new carts, but in a couple of days almost everyone prefers to go to the regular carts.

Just one try at Flamer is enough to realize how bad its food is, it’s not even worth how cheap it is. Probably it doesn’t only taste bad but it’s also bad for health. And the owner seems such a creep. Now that Nux sees him again, he remembers how he used to drool while cooking, disgusting everyone. How he looked at the customers with the same desire he looked at his kebabs, as if he wanted to eat them too.

At first it seemed that Piecemaker was going to be a success, the pies look nice and are tasty enough. But the owner keep scaring people away, he seems as crazy as Nux remembers him, and very aggressive, yelling nonsense to everyone and threatening customers from time to time. Bad reviews spread quickly, and Nux is sure Joe is not going to be pleased with it. Or maybe he will, who knows what he’s trying to achieve with this.

“If they are trying to steal our clients, they are not succeeding.” Capable comments the Thursday when she goes to have breakfast to Rev Head.

“I don’t think they are trying that.” Slit replies, glaring at the carts. “I think they are trying to make us nervous and uncomfortable in our own parking. Making things uncomfortable with the customers. Making us anxious, waiting for them to do something, waiting for their attack.”

If that’s their mission, then they are excelling. Everyone in the parking is tensed up since they arrived, waiting for something awful to happen. Now they drive their carts back home at night, instead of letting them parked there all night, afraid they might be harmed. They keep waiting for Joe’s relatives to attack them.

Max is now parking his cart next to them, instead of further away, and opening at similar hours than them. Nux thinks that he doesn’t do that for his own safety, he’s just trying to help them and reassure them, and he appreciates it.

Unsettlingly, though, Joe’s relatives do not attack them, at least for now. But that doesn’t mean they don’t annoy them.

The man from Flamer, Nux doesn’t remember his name, keeps going to have lunch to Green Wood, instead of eating his own things, and he looks at the girls in that unsettling, creepy way of him, as if he would rather eat them than the pizza. Nux hates it, and goes with Slit to have lunch in Green Wood whenever they can, to keep an eye on the creepy man.

Dag nicknames him “The People Eater”, which suits him. Threatens to turn him into food if he touches Cheedo, but the man has never gone to Furiosa’s War Pig.

Fortunately, even though she works alone in her cart, the People Eater doesn’t seem to bother Toast much, since Slit and Nux, and most times Capable too, are there having breakfast until they have to open Rev Head. Then, it’s Furiosa who goes to Café No until she opens War Pig, and by then it’s almost time for Toast to close Café No.

On the other hand, the owner of Piecemaker seems to be always looking for trouble. Nux and Slit know they must ignore his rudeness and provocation, replying to it would only make everything worse. They don’t need Furiosa to tell them so (though she does tell them. He’s doing the same to her.) But it’s not easy to ignore him.

“Tastes like you could expect from the ungrateful kids who betrayed their foster father.” The awful man had said, while taking a sip of Rev Head’s coffee and spitting it next to the van. Nux had had to stop Slit from jumping the counter and throwing himself against the man, even if he too wanted to beat that man until they threw him out of the parking for good.

But he knows, deep down, that’s not the way to do things, not now, not anymore. Or at least, that’s what Capable and Angharad told him. Dag, Toast and Furiosa doesn’t seem to agree, but they all know it’s better not to have a direct confrontation with Joe.

 

“There must be a way to make them go away from our parking…” Toast is saying grumpily while they have dinner at the girls’ place, a week after Joe’s relatives’ arrival.

“We could scare them off.” Slit replied, looking up at her from when he’s sitting on the floor next to her armchair, head leaning against her legs.

“Yes…trash their carts like they did to ours and kick them away…” Nux catches himself saying, and he regrets it instantly, even if a tiny voice inside his head tells him it’s what he should do. But even though there’s nothing he’d like to do more than attack them back, he has promised Capable he wouldn’t do anything like that, so he won’t. She’s already looking at him with sad eyes, and Nux kisses her forehead, as if to apologize.

“But we shouldn’t, because then Joe’d seek for revenge, and he can just send more and more people…” Nux adds, saying the same words Capable had told him, and she nods in agreement.

“And we ought to be better than them.” Capable says, Angharad’s words.

All them sulk silently, none of them seeming able to think of a solution.

“I guess we’ll have to get used to them…” Cheedo says, curling up on Dag’s lap, who sighs unhappily.

“I’m going to end up punching any of them, or both.” Toast grumbles, and Slit chuckles, knocking his fist with hers and Nux is not totally sure they won’t decide to just go fighting the men themselves. It’s a crazy idea but he finds himself wanting to join them anyway.

“It could be worse, I guess…” Capable says quietly. “They don’t bother us that much, we can ignore them…and we have way more clients than them…”

Nux wonders if she really believes that, but it’s clear she’s upset and needs comfort so he cuddles her, kisses her temple and hopes she can’t read his mind.

Nobody replies to Capable. They are too grumpy to try to look for the bright side of their situation.

“It’s going to be worse, I’m sure. They are going to keep pressuring us more and more until we jump, and who knows what they are actually scheming…” Toast seems to have decided to look at the dark side of the situation, and Slit nods, agreeing with her.

Nux agrees too, but he doesn’t want to upset Capable, so he says nothing. Capable doesn’t reply, and they all watch tv silently.

 

“Slit and you aren’t going to do anything crazy, right?” Capable murmurs later, when Nux and her are cuddled in her bed.

“No, you know we won’t.” Nux replies, looking up from when he is curled over Capable’s chest. “But we should. Make them go away.”

“They’ll leave when they see they don’t have enough clients.” Capable tries to reassure him, but Nux shakes his head with an unhappy noise. That’s a silly thought and even Capable herself sounds like she doesn’t believe her own words. “And anyway, you can’t do anything without risking Joe attacking you in revenge. I don’t want him hurting you.”

Nux kisses her lips and snuggles with her, can’t stop himself from doing so. It’s still a bit overwhelming, in a good and warm way, the way Capable cares about him. Almost as much as he cares about her, he thinks.

“I won’t do anything.” He assures her, because he doesn’t want to argue, doesn’t want to upset her more. But he knows they have to think a way to stop Joe for good. His brain doesn’t seem to want to cooperate with him, though.

Capable is caressing his head and the gentle stroke of her fingers seems to make his thoughts and worries disappear magically. Soon, before even realize it, Nux finds himself falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make out for the mediocrity of this chapter, I'd like all you to imagine the Bullet Farmer in an apron making pies.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another very delayed, very mediocre chapter.
> 
> Thank you very much to Mickymoon and Liisiko for commenting, and to everyone leaving kudos, you make me happy and keep me going.

As Nux was expecting, things do not improve next week.

The “People Eater” keeps going to any of their carts for lunch, and although he’s still not aggressive, he’s highly unsettling. There’s something in the way he talks and looks at everyone that keeps disgusting them.

“Pizza is in front of you, not under Angharad’s clothes, you creep.” Dag snaps at him when she sees him staring unashamedly at the curve of Angharad’s breasts under her apron. But the man just laughs nonchalantly and munches his pizza.

He goes as far as to make some weird sausage innuendo Nux is not sure to understand to Max while eating a hot dog in M.A.D.  For a second, Nux things Max is going to punch the man, and him and Slit are ready to help him and beat the shit out of the creep for good.

But finally Max just stares at the “People Eater”, and the man must see something in his eyes, because he leaves them alone the whole day. Nux wants to learn how to do that stare. Furiosa does it, too, and also the Many Moothers. Toast seems to almost have learnt it.

 

“At least he’s not violent…” Capable says when Nux told her what happened, later that day, but she sounds worried.

Nux doesn’t tell her about the day, many many years back, when he heard the “People Eater” talking with one of Joe’s boys, some kid a couple of years older that Nux, about the way he loved to buy the meat for his kebabs directly from the slaughterhouse because the owner was his friend, and he allowed him to look while they slaughtered the animals, which turned him on. Nobody sane and non-violent could say that.

But Capable is better off without knowing that.

During the week things go worse, and the tension that had been building up in the parking explodes.

It all stars in War Pig, while Furiosa is out. She has gone to run some errand, leaving Cheedo minding the cart, assuring her she won’t be gone for longer than half an hour, and it’s not lunch time yet so she shouldn’t be too busy.

Nux is with Slit and Toast in Rev Head, when they hear some commotion coming from War Pig. When they run there, they see the man from Piecemaker is there and Cheedo is yelling at him, aiming a big spoon, her eyes lit with rage.

The man is looking at her with crazy eyes, and when Nux sees him raising his hand, his heart stops for a second, thinking he’s going to hit Cheedo. But Slit is quicker than any of them, and before they react he has pushed the man away from her.

Dag comes running from Green Place and seems torn between going to Cheedo and trying to attack the man, but finally she and Nux rush to stand next to Slit, ready to help him to fight the man.

“Enough.” Max’s voice startles them.

It takes all Nux will power not to lunge against the Piecemaker and stay still, he can feel the blood boiling through his veins, asking him to fight.  But he does nothing, and neither does Slit or Dag, who just hisses insults while she holds Cheedo, who seems to have lost her rage, against her.

The Piecemaker glares at them, looking like he would like to kill them all, but seems to know he’s outnumbered. Now the Many Moothers are there too, looking like they would shred him at any moment.

Finally, the man grumbles something and leaves, locking himself inside his van.

 “Come, let’s sit down to Café No, I’ll make you all coffee.” Toast says. Max leaves the parking and the Many Moothers go back to their van, but the others follow Toast silently.

After being there for some minutes, they see Max approaching with Furiosa, who looks worried and guilty. Nux hopes she’s not blaming herself for what had happened, although she probably does. He would do it too.

“Tell me what happened.” She says as she sits down with them.

“I got angry…” Cheedo says timidly. “That man came to the cart…he started saying that it was stupid from you to leave me there alone because it was obvious I couldn’t take care of the cart of or myself, that you only had to look at me to know I was stupid and useless…”

Dag hisses some curses towards Piecemaker’s van, which is still closed, and Nux feels sorry he didn’t get to punch the man.

“He said you only wanted me there because I looked pretty and I’d attract customers even if I don’t have a brain…” Cheedo continues saying. “And I just…I wasn’t going to stay quiet while he said such things…I needed to stand up for myself…and I started yelling at him…” Cheedo trails off, fidgeting.

“The piecemaker is lucky we arrived, because Cheedo had a very dangerous looking spoon and I’m sure she would have left the man without a face for messing with her.” Slit says, and Cheedo beams to him

 

Later that afternoon, Nux sees Furiosa talking with the Many Moothers and with a woman he has never seen before. Furiosa gestures to Green Place, where Angharad is closing, and she, Capable, Dag and Cheedo, who is there too, go to join them. They gestured to Rev Head, and Nux and Slit go there too.

One of the Many Moothers introduces the woman as Valkyrie, her daughter.

“An old friend of mine.” Furiosa says. “I haven’t seen her in a long time.”

“I’ve been traveling around the country, but now I’m back home.” The woman says, knocking her forehead briefly against Furiosa’s, who seems equally parts embarrassed and happy.

“She’s going to help us in War Rig for a bit, and she’ll be staying at my place too.” Furiosa explains.

Nux has the strong suspicion that today’s accident is the reason why Furiosa has called Valkyrie, and he’s glad she did, although he says nothing.

That evening, the Many Moothers are going to Furiosa’s for dinner, and so are Angharad, Toast, Dag, Cheedo and, surprisingly for Nux, Slit too. Capable and him had decided to go out for dinner and have an actual date after such a mess of a week, although they have promised they’ll join the girls at their place later.

“I’m scared thinking what could have happened to Cheedo if we hadn’t been there today…” Capable says as they walk towards the girls’ place.

“Me too, but you know none of us is going to be alone ever, we have each other’s backs.” Nux assures her, tightening the arm he has around her waist.

“I know…” Capable replies, kissing his cheek. “It’s just…Don’t think I don’t know we have to make them go away…it’s just…I wish there were a non-violent way of doing it…Angharad and I used to talk a lot about it, how you can’t fight violence with violence, because then you only have…well, more violence. But I don’t know what to do anymore…”

Nux isn’t sure if he understands what she is saying, it doesn’t really make sense to him, so he decides not to say anything, afraid he might say something wrong and upset Capable.

She let out a sigh, leaning her head against his shoulder, and they walk silently.

 

“You should have come to Furiosa’s!” Cheedo says when they arrive. “We were talking with Valkyrie and she’s so great, I’m happy I’m going to be working with her. You know that she helped Furiosa to run away from Joe? She’s as great as Furiosa.”

Slit is nodding along excitedly, and Toast giggles, looking at him.

“Slit has a crush on her.” She says, and he growls to her, but she just laughs louder. “He has gone totally fan boy about her.”

“I don’t…” Slit grumbles, and Nux regrets haven’t gone to the dinner so he can’t tease him as Toast does.

“I mean, I understand him, Valkyrie is really cool. She agrees with me, she thinks we should kick Joe’s and his boys asses.” Toast explains. “But then she has started talking about motorbikes  and Slit began fanboying with her…and then, when she said that she only drinks black coffee and how shit decaf is…I swear Slit had heart in his eyes.”

Toast is laughing without minding how Slit is snarling at her. Nux laughs too, can’t wait to tease him…oh how he wishes he had gone to the dinner…

“I didn’t have heart eyes and I don’t fanboy…” Slit grumbles. “I’m just happy there’s someone else here with common sense, who can appreciate motorbikes and good coffee, and who doesn’t doubt about kicking ass when she has too.”

“If I were you, Toast, I’d be jealous…” Dag teases and Slit glares at her while Toast throws her a pillow.

Capable has sat down and is tugging at Nux arm, so he snuggles with her.

“She seems great, indeed.” Capable says. “I’m glad she’s going to be in War Pig with you, Cheedo.”

“Me too.” Cheedo replies, grinning.

“It’s nice, although I think we all have seen Cheedo is able to take care of herself.” Slit says, and Toast nods.

“Of course she is, I always knew it.” Dag says, kissing Cheedo’s blushing cheek as the girl grins.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I'd like to say thank you to Supergirrl and Liisiko for commenting, and to everyone who is reading and leaving kudos.
> 
> Another mediocre chapter with mediocre English.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

Next morning, the Piecemaker’s cart is still locked and his owner is nowhere to be seen. Nux doesn’t know why, but he’s glad of it. Still, he wonders what happened.

Valkyrie solves the mystery when she goes to have coffee to Rev Head.

“I caught Furiosa talking with Max early this morning when I woke up. Apparently he came back to the parking yesterday evening to have a ‘talk’ with the piecemaker.” The woman explains while she sips her black coffee.

“I don’t know what he did, but I doubt it was just talk, because he was saying to Furiosa that the problem was solved and the man wasn’t coming back. I think I’m going to like that man.” She nods in an approbatory manner.

“Yes, he’s kind of cool, and Furiosa likes him a lot, doesn’t she Nux?” Slit says as he elbows Nux, and Nux can’t help but burst in laugh, which he tried to mask as coughing.

Valkyrie arches an eyebrow at them, but seeing the way she’s smiling it seems she has caught up their joke and can’t wait to tease Furiosa.

“What do you think Max did?” Nux asks to Slit when Valkyrie leaves. He’s sure the man can drag the piecemaker out of the parking forever by himself, he knows Max has that in him, even if he almost never shows it.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad he did it, whatever it was.” Slit replies, and Nux nods. He’s glad too, of course, a problem less, but he hopes it won’t have bad consequences for Max or even all them.

Unfortunately, the ‘People Eater’ is still working on his cart. Nux wonders if Max could do to him whatever he did to the ‘Piecemaker’.

He’s now having lunch in Green Place, seemingly oblivious to the glares the girls shoot him. Nux is watching him whenever he’s not giving coffee to customers, just in case he causes some trouble.

He’s not sure of what happens or how it starts, but suddenly Capable is yelling at the ‘People Eater’, who has got up and is being pushed away from the cart by Capable.

Nux rushes there, followed by Slit, but when they arrive there, Capable, Angharad and Dag have already dragged the man away. He seems about to lash out, but he sees Nux and Slit approaching, grumbles something and leaves.

The ‘People Eater’ is driving his van away when Furiosa gets to Green Place.

“What happened?” She asks.

“He grabbed my ass.” Capable replies, sounding angrier than Nux has ever heard her. “And I couldn’t help myself and I punched him.”

“You did that? That’s so great, you are so great!” Nux exclaims, can’t help himself. That’s even more chrome than if he had get to punch the man himself.

Capable smiles sadly to him and wraps an arm around his waist. “I didn’t think it… I’m afraid I just made everything worse…”

“Nonsense, you had to stand up for yourself and you did it.” Slit says, and Nux nods, kissing Capable’s cheek.

“That’s right, he started it and he had it coming, he deserves that and worse.” Angharad says, and it seems to make Capable feel better.

“I know, but I’m afraid now he’s going to be angry, he might do something to us…” Capable is saying, and Nux holds her close. He’d never let the ‘People Eater’ do anything to her, or to any of them.

“Don’t worry about that, everything will be okay.” Furiosa assures her. “You did well.” She smiles to Capable briefly before leaving.

“I’m closing, you two have the day free today.” Angharad says to Capable and Dag in a tone that doesn’t admit discussion.

Once Green Place is closed, they go to have lunch together in War Pig.

Dag tells Cheedo what happened with ‘the people eater’ and at first she looks horrified, but then she’s looking amazed to Capable and congratulating her for her reaction. Capable is still looking slightly embarrassed and Nux wraps an arm around her shoulders, squeezing. When she turns her face to look at him, Nux catches her lips in a kiss and finally manages to make her smile.

Slit has called Toast, telling her what had happened, and she shows up half an hour later, as amazed with Capable as everyone is.

Capable, though, seems a bit overwhelmed with everything, so when they finish their lunch Nux decides to take her out of the parking.

He asks Slit to mind Rev Head for the rest of the day and he agrees. Toast also volunteers to help him, so Nux and Capable can have some time for themselves.

Nux drives them away from the town and into the countryside, to a place away from the beach but where they can still see the ocean. There are some wooden benchs and tables and they sit down facing the sea.

Capable rests her head on his shoulder and Nux kisses her forehead.

“You were great today.” He says softly, “very brave.”

“I don’t think so, I reacted impulsively because I was angry.” Capable replies, letting out a sigh.

“You had all the right to be angry! And you couldn’t let him take advantage of you, you did well.” Nux assures. He’d have done much than punch ‘the people eater’ if he had had the chance.

“I could have stopped him without punching him. He didn’t attack me or hurt me, he just…” Capable grimaces. “Anyway, I shouldn’t have reacted so violently.”

Nux doesn’t understand why she’s so upset about punching the disgusting man, he had it coming and he deserves worse. But he wants to comfort Capable, so he says nothing and holds her close.

“It’s just… I dislike violence, any kind.” Capable starts talking again after a moment. “I think it’s wrong and useless. I used to talk about that with Angharad. Because violence only generates more violence…so…”

Nux is not sure he understands it, but he listens and tries to do so.

“And well…even if I think that way, even if I know it’s wrong, I got angry and reacted violently…” Capable sounds sad and Nux doesn’t like it at all. “After all I went through, I promised I’d never use violence against anyone unless I were for protection… And alright, ‘the people eater’ is a pervert and he touched me but…”

She trails off and Nux hugs her tight. Capable hides her face on his chest and they stay silent for a long time.

“I don’t think it’s the same.” Nux is the first to talk again. “It was just a punch and he had it coming, he really had. You couldn’t just let him have his way, you have to stand for yourself…”

“I could have just yelled at him instead of punching him…” Capable replies.

“It might have worked but it wouldn’t have been the same. A punch was your best option. Trust me when I say that asshole deserves that and more.” Nux pecks her lips. “You shouldn’t been feeling bad about it, he doesn’t deserve it. Sometimes you have to do things like that, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong. You were great. Alright?”

“Alright.” Capable nods with a sad smile. “I have to agree with you when you are sounding so wise.”

None had every called Nux wise, and he can’t help but grin despite the situation. It seems to help though, because Capable smiles and kisses him.

When they come back to the town is late, but not late enough for MAD not to be open, so they go there for dinner. Max talks with them, in his own way, and he doesn’t bother Capable with questions about what happened with ‘the people eater’.

Next morning, Capable goes with Nux and Slit to have breakfast with Toast in Café No before they have to open Rev Head.

Nux had hoped ‘the people eater’ had gone away, even if he knew it was improbable, but his van is parked there again. The worse part comes when he opens it and begins to cook his kebabs.

Now he’s not alone, there are a couple of boys, Joe’s boys, with them, glaring around. It seems he had decided to bring bodyguards.


End file.
